Repercussions
by shea3202
Summary: Post "Good God Y'all". Starts after Sam & Dean have separated. Dean finds out the demons and Lucifer have Sam. With hunters spread thin, Dean needs Cas & Jo for help tracking him down before it's too late. Some fun Dean/Jo tension.
1. Chapter 1

_So I wrote this during the long hiatus. I've always been a Dean/Jo fan but after watching Abandon All Hope, it made me so sad they'd never have a chance. Therefore, I started this (my first fanfic ever) to help get me thru til Jan. 21. Please let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!!!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Winchesters or anything Eric Kripke and his genius mind comes up with.**

**Rated T for now with only strong language.**

**Spoilers: If you haven't seen any of the 5th season, I suggest not reading (and possibly catching up on your Supernatural)**

**Pairings: Dean/Jo**

**Repercussions**

**Chapter 1**

_Outside Cincinnati, OH_

"Dean." Seconds passed in the blacked out motel room. It's been morning for hours but the sun is unable to penetrate the tightly drawn curtains. "Dean, you need to wake." Castiel looks down at the man before him, sprawled across the bed in an uncomfortable looking position but still dead to the world. "Dean!"

"What?" Dean muttered through the pillow. He didn't even acknowledge Castiel enough to move a muscle.

The drive from Colorado alone in the Impala was supposed to be a bit of peace for him. For months he's had to worry about Sam, about how to stop the Apocalypse, and everything else in the world that seemed broken right now. When he'd gotten a call from Bobby about an omen in Virginia that could answer some question about God's location, Dean thought the miles on the road with just the sound of the Impala and some AC/DC would calm him. Turns out, those hours alone just made the voice in his head louder.

"There isn't time, we have to locate the omen and find out its significance. Lucifer will be finding his vessel soon and his power will be greater." Castiel watched as Dean finally sat up in the cheap motel bed.

"I know, I know," Dean sighed as he stretched his stiff muscles and tried to get a bearing on his surroundings. The darkness of the room made his eyes heavy with their desire for sleep "If we leave around 8 AM we'll be in Virginia this afternoon and talk to the witness about the omen thing…"

"It's 10:30. You've been sleeping longer than necessary."

"Damn, guess that means we're not getting McDonald's for breakfast." Dean stood up and headed towards the bathroom.

"We don't have time, we must leave now." Castiel usually tried to show patience with Dean. He knew the weight he had on his shoulders with Sam and with the recent revelation about him being destined to be Michael's vessel. Dean's spirit hadn't been as strong lately as it was the first few months they'd been working together. But finding God was the answer and Castiel knew time was beginning to become a factor.

Dean stopped when he reached the bathroom door. "We have time Cas. More importantly right now _I_ have time for a shower, some breakfast, and maybe even a little pay-per-view." Dean turned towards Castiel with his signature smirk. "Give me an hour. Go do whatever it is you do. Give me some peace then we'll head out." With that, Dean slammed the door and turned on the hot shower.

Dean slipped out of his boxers and stepped into the warm, welcoming shower. As he ran the shampoo through his bed head of hair, he thought about Sam and whether it was the right thing to do.

He knew they've separated before under different circumstances and it had been a mistake but this time, it seemed almost necessary. After what happened with Sam, him trusting Ruby and then the look in Sam's eyes when he'd found him in the convenience store standing over the two guys, it couldn't work. He knew deep down it would only be a short matter of time before they were back together but right now just wasn't the time. Dean couldn't whole heartedly trust his brother and Sam needed to work out his issues. Dean knew he probably couldn't understand the full complexity of them and what would be the best way to help so the momentary separation was right.

"God," Dean thought. "I'm turning myself into a freaking Dr. Phil." He forced the conversation from his head and finished up the shower in silence. He stepped out of the tiny bathroom and into the dark room and instantly lighted it up with a flick of the switch.

"Who the hell would ever pick green and brown for motel colors?" he asked out loud to no one. "Guess Cas found someone better to annoy for the moment." He smiled to himself and began to pack what little he had laying around after the late night check in. After packing, he checked out and threw the bag into the Impala. Thinking he saw a Denny's on the way into town last night, he started up the Impala and headed out of the parking lot.

"What'll ya have?" The mid-forties waitress in the too tight yellow uniform asked without looking up from her wait pad.

"How about some caviar followed by a main course of lamb chops and filet minion. Oh, and some éclairs for dessert," Dean said with a devilish smile. The waitress looked up with her over eye shadowed brown eyes looking unamused. Dean was surprised his usually flirtatious tone hadn't worked. "Ummm…."

"One buffet and water," the waitress sighed and slapped the ticket down on the table. Dean just shrugged and headed towards one of God's greatest creations: the all you can eat buffet. After loading up on over 3,000 calories worth of breakfast goodness, he settled down in his booth and started to devour.

"You weren't at the motel." Dean looked over as Castiel moved into the seat across from him.

"Yeah, well, they don't usually do a continental breakfast when your room rates are by the hour," Dean stuffed about half a pancake in his mouth and looked up at Castiel.

"It's Sam."

"What? What's Sam?" Dean stopped his fork in mid motion and fully focused on Castiel.

"We need to find him. I left to check resources about the omen but I heard the angels talking. The demons have him and Lucifer is coming to him." Dean threw down some money and took off for the Impala, Castiel right behind him.

"What do you mean Lucifer is coming to him? Like he's going to possess him? Use him for the war? What the HELL is it Cas?" Dean threw open the door of the Impala and got in. He grabbed his phone to try to call Sam but to no avail.

"He's going to try to convince Sam to become his vessel."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The first thing he felt was the overwhelming pain in the back of his head. It seemed to dominate even his thoughts. He opened his good eye (his other was still swelled shut from the struggle) and took in his surroundings.

He had suspected to wake up in a barn or dark basement but he was in a large bedroom. Nothing spectacular about it, just the basics of a bed, dresser, and chair. He took in the chair he'd been heavily tied to which had been bolted to the wooden floor. Whatever had tied him up had him held down with enough cable to ensure an escape was useless. Regardless, he twisted his hands in hope of catching a break but it continued to not be his day. With hands, waist, and legs firmly tied, he looked for other options. He wasn't gagged which only meant that he was somewhere recluse enough to not worry his captors with shouting.

He tried to remember details about what happened before he blacked out. He remembered heading back into the motel room, tired from the drive that day and throwing the fast food bag on the table. He'd barely let the bag go when he was hit with a force from behind that sent him crashing into the tan carpet. He felt a heavy weight try pin his shoulders down but he recovered and spun, throwing the demon off him.

"What the hell do you want?" Sam asked as he stood up and faced the demon that had possessed a mid-age lawyer. The suit was misleading though because Sam felt the strength from the hit he took.

"Oh come on Sam, you know the answer to this," the demon said as he straightened up. "I want you. We've always wanted you. I have someone that is dying to meet you."

"What Lucifer? The only time I want to meet that son of a bitch is when I send his sorry ass straight back to hell!"

"But you raised him? Why would you want to send him right back before you see what he can do?" The demon took a step towards Sam but Sam caught him off guard. He threw himself on top of him and dropped him easily to the ground. The demon managed a right rook at Sam's eye but Sam recovered quickly. After a few well placed punches, and a good amount of blood coming from the lawyer's face, Sam grabbed his shirt collar and glared into the black eyes.

"I don't give a damn what he can do! He's going to destroy the world and I have to stop him. _I_ have to!" Sam took in a breath to calm down before continuing. "And I might not be able to stop him right now and I can't kill you, but…"

Sam was interrupted by the lamp crashing into the back of his skull. The surprise threw off his balance and he fell on his back onto the floor. His vision blurred but right before the swift kick to his head, he saw the black eyed bitch standing over him with a smile.

Sam was snapped back to the present from the sound of a door opening behind him. He turned as much as he could in the chair and saw the woman walking towards him. He instantly recognized the bitch from the hotel room when he'd found Bobby possessed and fighting Dean.

"Meg," Sam said with disdain. "Should have known it was you back in my motel room."

"I just knew you would miss me Sam. Someone had to pick you up and I volunteered seeing as we have so much history together." Meg moved to sit in the bed across from Sam.

"I'm going to enjoy sending you back to hell…"

"Got to get out of that chair first Sammy." She smiled wickedly as she looked him up and down. "And I'm sure by this point you've tried and failed. You aren't getting away this time and no one's coming to get you. I heard about the little fight you and Dean-o had and I must say, not surprised. You picking Ruby over your own brother? You had to have known that one wasn't going to end well. Worked out better for us though."

"What do you want this time? Setting another trap? Well it's not going to work."

Meg got up from the bed and stood near Sam. She ran a hand softly across his cheek. "Why set a trap when we already have the prize?"

--------

"So where do we start Cas? Did you pick up anything else on angel radio?" Dean sat impatiently in the Impala in the parking lot. Without a clue as to what state Sam could be in, he didn't want to waste any time driving in the wrong direction.

"No, they were brief. 'The demons have Sam Winchester and Lucifer will try to make him his vessel'", Castiel repeated while staring at the dashboard.

"And what's this shit about Lucifer wanting Sam as his vessel? The demons already used him for the Devil's Gate and killing Lilith, aren't they done with him?"

"Because Lucifer believes its destiny. Everything Sam has gone through has led him to this point."

"Stop giving me this destiny shit! If all this was written out and was destiny, why am I just hearing about it now?" Dean turned to glare at Castiel who still refused to look towards the older Winchester.

"No one knew. The garrison only recently discovered this. It was never written." Dean let out a frustrated sigh.

"Just once I would like to get a head's up on the situation instead of getting the Cliff Notes afterwards. So what do we do now? How do I find him?"

"Because of the encryption I placed on you both, I'm unable to find him. Also, more than likely, the place he's being held is encrypted with warding magic which will make it more difficult."

"Not really hearing helpful answers Cas."

"The good news is I believe we have time to get to him. Lucifer must have Sam's permission to use him as a vessel. Although he's not as strong, I believe he will not give in." Castiel looked up at Dean and met his eyes.

"Sammy would never give in. No matter how strong you think he is or isn't, he's my brother and he wouldn't do that."

"He did let Ruby…."

"He wouldn't do that!" Dean didn't even give him the chance to finish sentence and Castiel immediately nodded. "He said he was heading south, maybe to Texas, Georgia, I don't know but that's a start. What's the best way to find him?"

"The fastest way is to use a demon to find out his location. With Lucifer being such a strong presence, most of them will know where he is."

"Ok, so we'll head south and see if we can scare up a demon patch along the way. Put them in a Devil's trap and get some answers." Dean turned the ignition and prepared to back out of the parking space but was halted by Castiel.

"I won't be going with you. It will be faster if I use my resources to locate where a viable demon will be. You will head south and I'll call you on the mobile device so I can learn your location." Dean nodded in agreement. Anything that got him to Sam faster was going to be the plan. "The demons are getting stronger though Dean. You might need to get some backup."

"Cas, I can handle myself. I've got a full artillery in the trunk and this isn't exactly my first time."

"You are a priority to the demons Dean. They know you are the Michael sword and they'll stop at nothing to destroy you in the name of their Father." Castiel gave Dean a look that meant the warning was more than just a simple 'be careful'.

"Ok, ok, I'll find myself a babysitter if that'll make you happy. But I'm going after Sam and I'm not picking up anybody that'll slow me down. I'll make a few calls" With that, Castiel nodded and disappeared from the Impala.

-----------

Sam opened his eye, realizing his tired body had gotten a few hours of much needed sleep. His neck was sore from the strain of sleeping with his head forward and as he moved to roll his neck, he caught his breath.

"Hey baby. I missed you" He couldn't believe it. He'd heard the voice a thousands times in his head but actually hearing it was both welcome and scary. He looked at the figure dressed in white sitting in the bed across from him.

"Jessica." Even as he said her name, he couldn't believe it. "I'm dreaming."

"No, you're not," she said as she smiled at Sam, her long blonde hair falling across her bare shoulders. "What's the difference? I'm here."

Sam momentarily forgot where he was and the tight cables that pinned him to the chair.

"I miss you so much."

"I know. I miss you too". Jessica moved so that she was sitting on the edge of the bed, only inches away from Sam. "What are you doing Sam?"

"What do you mean?"

"Running away. You've been down this road before."

Sam looked away before answering her. "No, it's different now."

"Really?"

"Last time I wanted to be normal. This time I know I'm a freak."

"Which is all just semantics. You know that."

"No."

"Even at Stanford you knew. You knew there was something dark inside you. Deep down maybe but you knew. Maybe that's what got me killed." Sam snapped his eyes back to Jessica in a look of utter internal torment.

"No!"

She gave him a little smile before continuing. "I was dead from the moment you said hello."

"No…"

"Don't you get it? You can't run from yourself. Why are you running now?"

Sam closed his eyes, unable to believe after all this time of not seeing her, their first encounter only deepened his guilt. He took a breath before answering.

"Why are you here Jess?"

"Would you believe I'm actually trying to protect you?" She reached out towards Sam but he pulled his head back in shock from her statement.

"From what?"

She dropped her hand to her lap. "You. Sooner or later your past is going to catch up to you like it always does. You know what happens then. People die. Baby, the people close to you die."

Sam looked back towards the wall, unable to face Jessica and digging deep to gain his control. "Don't worry I won't make that mistake again."

"Same song different verse. Things are never going to change with you. Ever."

Sam turned back to argue but she was gone. If the demons sent her to mess with him in an attempt to break him down, they hadn't completely succeeded. But Sam could feel that damage had been done. Her saying that he killed her from the second they said hello? Was that what she thought in her final moments as she was burning on the ceiling of their apartment? He'd always blamed himself but had she blamed him?

* * *

_Thoughts? Concerns? Funny comments? Any reviews would be great since this is my first fanfic and I'm kind of playing it by ear. Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Thanks so much for the favorites and reviews! It's awesome that I'm not the only one that finds this story interesting. It'll probably end up being a fairly long story, maybe around 10-15 chapters so stick with me. This chapter is a short one and a set up for the next few. Thanks again and enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Winchesters or anything Eric Kripke and his genius mind comes up with.**

**Rated T for now with only strong language.**

**Spoilers: If you haven't seen any of the 5th season, I suggest not reading (and possibly catching up on your Supernatural)**

**Pairings: Dean/Jo**

**Chapter 3**

"You know what to do." Dean waited for the beep to leave his message in case Rufus happened to be close.

"Rufus, it's Dean. The demons got Sam and I need some backup. Call me as soon as you get his."

He slammed the phone shut and threw it on the empty passenger seat. He'd left Cincinnati four hours ago and was just crossing the state line into Tennessee. His mind had been racing with thoughts about Sam. Was he ok? Did Lucifer have him? And more importantly, how were they trying to convince Sam to be Lucifer's vessel? Without thought, Dean trusted his brother that no matter what they did to him, Sam would never break. He wouldn't give in. But then after the miles, doubt started to creep up.

"He trusted that hell bitch even after I warned him not too," he thought out loud, his voice raising with each word. "He trusted her more than…" Dean stopped and ran his hand threw his hair, erasing the thought from his head. He had to focus. He just needed to get to Sam and everything would be ok.

He picked his phone back up and scrolled down to another familiar name. After a few rings…

"Hey Dean." Her voice was always welcome to his ears, regardless of how scary she could be sometimes.

"Hey Ellen, I got a problem. Where are you?"

"Up in Oregon, what's wrong?"

Dean sighed before answering. She was too far away but maybe she could help another way.

"It's Sam. Ellen, the demons got him. They've got him holed up somewhere in the southeast trying to convince him to be Lucifer's meat suit."

He was met with silence on the other end. "Damn it Dean, I wish I was closer to help you go after that son of a bitch. Maybe Rufus…"

"Already tried, he's not answering." His temper was starting to catch up with him again. Sam needed his help and he looked to be coming as an army of one.

"And Bobby's out. Where are you exactly?"

"About an hour north of Knoxville. Know anybody close?"

"Jo, she's in Chattanooga. I think she's just finishing up a quick hunt. She could cover your back."

"I don't know Ellen. Last time I took her…"

Ellen cut him off.

"She's got your back Dean. I know in the past I've been down right stern about her hunting and her lack of experience but it's different. I'd always seen her as…as my little girl but these last two years, she's turned into the same ball buster her father was." Ellen couldn't help but smile at the true similarity between Jo and her father. "Outside of you and Sam, she's the best on a hunt."

Dean trusted Ellen's judgment. She wasn't talking about Jo with pride as a daughter but more as a hunter. "Ok, Ellen, I'll give her a call."

"Good luck with Sam and be safe."

"I will."

"And Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Kick'em in the ass."

"Trust me, they'll pay." With that Dean hung up and called the younger Harvelle.

He'd been thrown off in Colorado when he'd seen Jo. He'd known she was there but between Sam being captured, him and Ellen protecting the townspeople, and trying to figure out how War was controlling the hallucinations, he hadn't thought about seeing her. It had been years since he'd seen her and so much had happened. Hell, he'd died, got ripped from hell, found out angels existed, and watched as Lucifer came top side. He'd thought about her from time to time but he hadn't expected seeing her grown up. It'd only been a moment but he could tell the school girl he once thought she was was gone. Instead, she was the hunter he never thought she could become.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded slightly distracted as she answered.

"Hey Jo, it's Dean. Catch ya at a bad time?" Deep down he was hoping she wasn't already off somewhere else. He really needed someone else with him on this.

"No, just got done with a hunt." Dean heard something land heavy when she paused. "Just unpacking some guns to clean them before I pack up to leave. What's up?"

"I need your help Jo. Castiel found out that the demons have Sam and they're trying to convince him to be Lucifer's vessel. They've got him hidden somewhere in the south and I'm heading that way to find him."

"Holy shit Dean." She hesitated a second and let the information sink it. "Ok, what do you need?"

"Actually, you. I need another hunter on this. Castiel is trying to find me some demons to get information from so we can find out exactly where Sammy is. Your mom said you might be in Chattanooga?"

"Yeah, I'm in a motel on the north side, first one you hit inside city limits. Red Door Inn. You on the way?"

Dean sighed with relief. "Just about ready to hit Knoxville. I'll be there in 2 hours."

"Room 217. See you in a few."

"Thanks Jo."

"Anytime Dean." And with that, Dean snapped his phone shut and stepped on the gas.


	4. Chapter 4

_Wow you guys are awesome! Your reviews make me want to get these chapters out as fast as possible. _

_Skies are blue: As for writing anymore stories, I'll see how this one turns out first. But, I might get addicted and have to keep going._

_Jo Harv: Ellen talking about Jo was one of my favorite things to write so far. I always saw her more of a ball buster than what she was portrayed._

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Winchesters or anything Eric Kripke and his genius mind comes up with.**

**Rated: T for now with only strong language.**

**Spoilers: If you haven't seen any of the 5th season, I suggest not reading (and possibly catching up on your Supernatural)**

**Pairings: Dean/Jo**

Enjoy!

**Chapter 4**

_Raised on promises  
She couldn't help thinkin' that there  
Was a little more to life  
Somewhere else  
After all it was a great big world  
With lots of places to run to…_

Dean turned down the radio and pulled the Impala off at exit seven, turning left at the light with the Red Door Inn in sight. It had been since this morning since he'd spoken to Castiel and his patience was starting to wear thin. He'd tried his number a few dozen times or so but he guessed there were some places phones couldn't reach.

Castiel had said they probably had a few days to find Sam, that he'd turn down Lucifer's offer and Dean agreed. But he couldn't imagine the tricks and trials they were putting Sam through to get him to say yes. He was a tough kid but everybody has a breaking point and Dean wondered just how long it would be until they found Sam's. He'd stay at the motel tonight and try to put together a plan. He could wait for Castiel until morning but if he didn't show, Dean was leaving to find Sam somehow.

He turned into the bare parking lot and cut the rumbling engine. Grabbing his weapons bag and a few essentials, he made his way down to room 217 and knocked on the door. He heard movement and the sudden halt inside next to the door. After a moment it opened and Jo let him in.

"Hey Jo." As Dean stepped inside and the door shut behind him, he took her in. Jo was standing before him wearing a vintage REO Speedwagon t-shirt, black jacket, and tattered jeans. She held a smile but he could tell her hunt here had been grueling on her by the traces of exhaustion in her eyes.

"Hey. How ya holding up?"

"I've been better." He smirked and continued into the room, throwing his bags on one of the beds. He noticed the bedspread was a tasteless green and brown, matching the rest of the small motel room. "They really are all the same."

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." He hadn't even realized he'd said it out loud. He sat down on the bed and looked at Jo as she settled into a chair.

"So what's going on Dean?" She leaned back in the chair and focused on the older Winchester.

Dean paused a moment, figuring out where to start.

"Well, after the thing in Colorado, Sam and I decided to part ways for a bit. Some stuff that's happened in the last month, it was just too much. We figured going our own ways for now would be the best." Dean looked at Jo and saw the shock in her face.

"So in the middle of the apocalypse, you all decided splitting up and doing your own thing was the best option? Are you freaking kidding me Dean?" Her eyes were wide and she bit her lip as she waited for Dean's answer.

"Look, like I said, the past few months haven't been the best with me and Sammy. Us working together…. it just doesn't work right now." Dean stopped and thought about telling her everything. Ruby, Sam drinking the demon blood, killing Lilith and raising Lucifer, but it was too much right now. She didn't need to know that now and he still had to tell her about Castiel and the angels before he decided to show up. He looked at her and continued to tell her most of the story. About angels existing, Castiel's role, Lucifer needing to find a vessel, and Castiel hearing that the demons had Sam.

Jo kept her eyes on Dean as she took everything in. She'd easily accepted demons in the world and all the evil that surrounded them but angels? That was something she had never really considered. Deep down she believed in heaven and all that but she never put much thought into angels and God _actually_ existing.

As Dean finished his story, he looked to see what Jo's reaction would be. He saw her look away from him in thought as she bit down on her lip again. She spoke as her attention turned back to Dean.

"So what do we do next?"

* * *

It had been hours, maybe even days since Sam had seen Jess. Maybe she'd been a dream or a vision sent by the demons to sway him. Either way, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Stuck in this room, not knowing what day it was or even what state he was in, the encounter with Jess haunted him. Over the years, he'd built up walls in himself when it came to Jess and what happened to her. He didn't think of her everyday and the guilt that came with it but after seeing her, it came flooding back over him and he was drowning in it.

The few times Meg had come in to check on him and brought him food to keep him alive, he hadn't even acknowledged her presence. She made comments in an attempt to get a reaction but he didn't hear them. All he could hear was Jess's voice.

"Sam." His heart sank at the sound of her voice. But this time it was different. Her voice wasn't coming from inside his head but from behind him. Sam turned around to see Jessica in the same white dress he had seen her in last time. She looked at Sam with pity and sadness. "So, this is you life now? Think you can just live forever with your head buried in the sand?"

She walked back over to the bed and sat in front of Sam. She leaned forward and brushed the hair out of Sam's tortured face. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"I love you Jess. God knows how much I miss you too." He looked at her, gathering determination within himself. "But you're wrong. People can change. There is reason for hope." Jessica stood and walked behind him. She lowered her mouth to his ear and laid her hand on his shoulder.

"No Sam, there isn't."

"How can you be so sure?" Silence. A few seconds ticked by.

"Because you freed me," said a man's voice. Sam whipped his head around and no longer saw Jessica but a man. His brown short hair was the same color that ran throughout his beard. His average build was concealed by his jeans and the unbuttoned blue shirt that covered the black shirt beneath. He walked around until he stood in front of Sam. "That's right. You know who I am."

Sam opened and closed his mouth, not wanting to admit it. But the truth was inevitable. His voice came out in disbelief. "Lucifer."

"You are a hard one to find Sam. Harder than most humans. I don't suppose you'd tell me where you are?" Since setting Lucifer free inside the chapel, he'd imagined meeting him one day but his mental image of the fallen angel had been more grotesque and terrifying. But this version in front of him was anything but that. The look in his eyes and the way that he spoke so calmly, made this conversation even more terrifying for Sam.

"What do you want with me?"

Lucifer began to slowly pace before answering. "Thanks to you, I walk the earth. I want to give you a gift. I want to give you everything."

"I don't want anything from you." Lucifer stopped and looked at Sam.

"I'm so sorry Sam. I…I really am. Nick here is just an improvisation. Plan B can barely contain me without spontaneously combusting."

"What are you talking about?"

"Why do you think you were in that chapel? You're the one Sam. You're my vessel. My one true vessel."

Those words tore through Sam like a wrecking ball. "No."

"Yes."

"No. That will never happen!"

"I'm sorry but it will." The calmness in Lucifer's voice continued. "I will find you and when I do, you'll let me in. I'm sure of it."

Sam was taken back by what Lucifer had just said. "You need my consent?"

"Of course, I'm an angel."

"Then I'll kill myself before I let you in!"

"And I'll just bring you back." Lucifer walked over to Sam and sat in front of him on the bed. He meet Sam's gaze and almost looked sympathetic at the hunter as he slowly continued. "Sam, my heart breaks for you. The weight on your shoulders, what you've done, what you still have to do. It's more than anyone can bear. If there was some other way but there isn't. I will never lie to you, I'll never trick you, but you will say yes to me."

Sam gathered up the same determination he found earlier to confront Jessica. "You're wrong."

"I'm not," he stated with confidence. "I now you better than you know yourself."

For the first time, Sam felt the hope start to drain from within himself . "Why me?"

"Cause it had to be you Sam. It always had to be you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Dean looked up from the laptop as the door opened and Jo walked through. Castiel hadn't shown up yet and Dean couldn't wait any longer. She'd let him use her laptop to dig for some demonic omens that might lead them towards finding Sam while she ran to the store for supplies. 'Supplies' ended up being a twelve pack of beer and a pizza.

"Supplies huh?" Dean looked up at Jo as she set the case in the fridge and the pizza on the table.

"I figured a girl's gotta eat, and I'm kinda hungry too." She shot him a sly smile before sitting down with two open beers and passing him one. Dean opened up the pizza box and grabbed the largest slice, stuffing half of it in his mouth. "You find anything?"

"Ot et." Dean swallowed as Jo looked at him, puzzled. "Not yet. Found some demonic activity here and there but I can't put anything together. I just wish Cas would get off his ass and get here. Just sitting around here while Sam's going through God knows what…" He trailed off in thought and took a swig of the cold beer.

"Cas said you had a few days right? Well let's not get worried yet. He's strong Dean. He'd never let the demons get to him like that." She was met with silence as Dean looked back down at the laptop. "Ok, so let's not focus on Cas right now. Tell me what you've found and we'll go from there." Dean shifted in his chair, grabbed another slice, and began going thru his notes.

"Well, there were two possessions in, uh, Birmingham last weekend. Another one was in a small town in Mississippi, some massive livestock deaths in Columbus, Georgia, and some reports of mysterious large black dogs in Pensacola." Dean felt a shiver as he mentioned the dogs but she didn't seem to notice.

"Did anything strange show up when you dug into them?" Jo grabbed for another slice and realized they were quickly putting some serious damage into the pizza.

"Nothing that stands out. I've looked over the reports and my notes a few times but nothing that indicates the devil was there." He finished the beer and got up to get another from the fridge. "You need another cold one?"

"Sure, thanks. Hey, you've been going over this for a while. Let me take a look at everything and see if I can get another perspective on it." She grabbed the beer from Dean and screwed the cap off. He nodded with agreement.

"That works. My eyes are beat and after being on the road all day, I'm in need of a shower." Dean twisted the cap off the beer and walked towards the bathroom.

"You anticipating making it a long one?" Jo turned and looked at the open beer in his hand. He smiled and looked back at her.

"What, you've never brought a beer in the shower with ya?"

"Well yeah but I thought I was the only one." She smiled at he smirked back at her. "Just don't use all the hot water princess." She turned back to the table and heard him laugh before he shut the door.

She had joked with him about the long shower but fifteen minutes later and she could still hear the water going strong. She'd gone over all of Dean's notes and found a few things but she couldn't see a definite pattern, yet. The last thing she wanted to do was to go in the opposite direction of Sam and cost them more time. She'd gotten the atlas from her truck and marked all the areas where the activity had occurred.

It was kind of surreal, hunting with a Winchester again. The last time they'd truly worked together was in Philadelphia and that seemed like decades ago. She couldn't believe how naïve she had been back then. She was so eager and wide-eyed about hunting and she hadn't truly grasped the harsh reality of the lifestyle.

After two years hunting with her mom, and a few broken/scared body parts later, she understood the job. She understood why Dean tried to talk her out of it even though they both knew deep down it was in her blood. And she understood why her mom was so hell bent against her hunting but it felt right. It felt like she was born to dig up graves, save lives, and speak Latin, as weird as that sounded.

She continued to pour over Dean's detailed notes, trying to find something amongst the reports. She couldn't help but feel sadness for him. Sam was the only person in this world that was close to him, the only one he really trusted and if he lost Sam, she knew Dean would be lost forever. He might still hunt and try to seek revenge, but he would never be Dean if Sam was gone. She felt the same way about her mom so she was going to do everything in her power to get Sam back.

She finally heard the shower shut off and heard him moving around in the tiny bathroom. She would have loved this arrangement two years ago when she was still carrying a torch for him. Just them two in a motel room, working together on a case, and their harmless flirting that seemed to be laced in every sentence that wasn't work related. But after Duluth, after he'd treated her like just another girl and made the empty promise to call her, she'd grown up. She realized he'd never see her like that so she'd gone off with her mom and moved on.

"Guess I should have taken a few beers in there," Dean said as he opened the bathroom door and strolled out in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. He was freshly shaven and had already placed his necklace back in place. He walked towards one of the beds and began to dig through a duffel bag.

"Or a keg," Jo retorted. "You better hope there is some hot water in the morning or you'll be sorry." She continued to watch him as he came up with a t-shirt, jeans, and boxers. He stopped and looked over at her, slightly amused.

"And what would you do?"

"Trust me, after a few years living with Ash, I've got some tricks." But she didn't elaborate, instead letting his imagination run.

"Well as long as you don't trim my hair into a mullet in my sleep, I think I can handle it." He turned and headed back into the bathroom to get changed. Hmm, she hadn't thought of the mullet idea but just maybe…

She sighed and pushed the laptop closed. She tried to not think about it but who could have ignored that? Even if it hadn't been Dean wrapped in that towel, she still would have felt that slight flutter. But the fact that it was him made that whole moment just that much harder.

"Man up Jo, you've got a job to do," she whispered to herself.

Dean, fully clothed, walked back into the room, and sat across from Jo. "Any luck?"

"Maybe." She turned the atlas around and pushed it in front of him. Dean looked down at the numerous marks she'd made across the southeastern part of the map. "I marked the locations of all the omens you found. This is only a guess but they seem to form a circle around Montgomery area. I can't tell for sure though if all that means that's where Sam is or not."

"Did you find anymore demonic activity that could raise up a red flag?"

"Actually no. I looked for articles but nothing else seems to be occurring, anywhere."

"Hmm." Dean looked up at Jo. "Then I say we go for it. I can't sit around here waiting for Cas and if that's the only place in the country where there's a trace of demons, I say we go."

Jo yawned before answering. She hadn't slept at all last night after dealing with the spirit and it was starting to catch up with her. "Sounds like a plan. I'll get my stuff together."

"Why don't you get some sleep first?"

"What? Dean we can't waste any time."

"Jo, if Cas is telling the truth and Lucifer has Sam, I need a plan. I don't have the Colt which leaves me with nothing but rock salt and holy water to fight the devil with." He sighed heavily. "I've got to save Sammy but this might also be our best shot at the devil. Why don't you get some sleep while I do some research." Jo looked at him and knew he was right. They couldn't go into this unprepared.

"What about you?"

"I couldn't sleep right now if I wanted to. You go ahead. I'll wake ya in few hours and we'll hit the road."

"Ok, just don't eat the rest of the pizza while I'm sleeping," she stood up and headed over to her bag. "I'm counting on that for breakfast."

"Pizza, for breakfast? You kiddin' me?"

"_Cold _pizza. It's the best way to start the day." She shot him a smile, grabbed some clothes, and headed towards the bathroom. "You got a problem with that?"

"Yeah, it's not enough. We can have pizza but I'm finding a Bob Evans or something before we go. A slice of cold pizza isn't going to hold me over."

"Who said you could have any?" and with that, Jo closed the door.

Dean smiled but she hadn't seen it. He was thankful to be around somebody he could relax a bit with. He'd been stressed since he'd left Cincinnati, barely taking a second to breathe and his mind had been running a million miles an hour. Now he could focus on some research and see if there was a way to stop the devil, or a least slow him down long enough to get Sam out of there.

He grabbed a few books from his bag and sat with his back against the headboard. He started to flip through pages of text, making notes when Jo opened the door and walked over to the table to grab her phone. Dean looked up and lost all train of thought.

She stood with her back to him, looking through her phone for something. She'd thrown on a red baby doll shirt with some kind of band logo on the back and black pajama shorts. Very short shorts, Dean noticed. He didn't mean to but he couldn't stop from staring. She began to turn around and Dean managed to focus his eyes back on the text before she could call him out. She picked up a pair of headphones that were on the dresser and got into her bed.

"What's with the headphones?" he managed to ask, trying to get his mind off the shorts. She plugged them into her phone and held it up.

"Helps me sleep. And this way, if you fall asleep and snore, I won't have to hear it."

"For your information, I don't snore." She gave him a look as she settled into the bed.

"Yeah, that's what all the guys say." For once, Dean didn't have a response. He looked somewhere between her and the book he was holding. Jo could see he was searching for a comeback and was coming up short. She smiled at her victory and put the headphones in. "Night Dean."

"Night."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Dean glanced at the alarm clock, amazed that it was only 2 AM. He'd been pouring over these texts for what seemed like days but when in reality it had only been a few hours. He'd found numerous texts depicting Lucifer's possible rise and the apocalypse but nothing about defeating him. Not even a hint of a way to slow him down.

"How the hell am I going to get Sammy out of there?" he thought to himself. "Maybe I should say yes to Zachariah and become heaven's bitch. If it's the only way to save him…" He sighed more out of frustration than anything. He placed the book on the bed, leaned against the headboard, and looked over at Jo.

She wasn't kidding about the headphones helping her tune out everything. He'd dropped two books and cried out in pain when he stubbed his toe on the chair leg on his way to grab another beer. He'd turned around hoping she hadn't woken but she hadn't moved a muscle.

"Must be nice to sleep that hard," he said quietly, wishing he could do the same.

"I found him." After sitting in silence for hours researching, Dean was startled at the sound of Castiel's voice.

"Good God Cas, give a man some warning."

"Sorry. You left your address on the phone message. I thought you were expecting me."

"Yeah, hours ago. Definitely didn't have 2AM picked out as the time you'd show up. Where've you been?" It was then that Dean noticed the red stains on Castiel's usually white shirt.

"Gathering information."

"I see that." Dean stood up and motioned for Castiel to follow him into the hallway. "Last thing I need is a pissed off Harvelle cause she didn't get her beauty sleep."

"Is that Joanna Beth Harvelle?" Castiel asked when they were outside the room. "Her father was a great hunter."

"Yeah and she didn't fall too far from the tree. So, Sam, you found him?"

"The demons are holding him in Dadeville, AL in a house in the country. From what I learned from the demon, he's yet to accept Lucifer's offer."

"Great, so what's the address?"

"That's all I got from the creature. He claimed not to have any more information so I disposed of him."

"Ok, well that's a start. I'll wake Jo up in a bit and we'll head that way."

"Good luck. I'll meet you down there. I have a few things I must take care of first." Castiel turned to go but Dean stopped him.

"Hey Cas, I've been digging all night, looking for a way to stop the devil. He might be there when I go after Sam and honestly…I've got nothing. All the books talk about him rising and his destruction to the earth but nothing about how to stop him."

Castiel took a moment before answering. "There are only two ways I know to stop Lucifer: to find God or to release the Michael sword upon him. I know how much you oppose being the Michael sword so that leaves us with one option. Pray that I can find God." Dean watched as Castiel disappeared.

----------

"Why so quiet Sammy?" Meg had been in and out of the room all night, trying to get a rise out of Sam.

"Don't call me that." Since Lucifer's revelation that he was the devil's one true vessel, he'd gone almost catatonic. He found it was easier to try to sit as still as possible, to pretend like maybe this all wasn't happening. Had it not been for Meg's presence, it would almost work.

"What's wrong, don't like your nickname?" She stood behind Sam and wrapped her arms around him. "Would you prefer something else? Like Lucifer, the devil, Morning Star…Just let me know when you hear a favorite." Sam whipped his head around and head butted her. He was limited with being tied to a chair but he wanted to inflict pain on her somehow.

"Well that just wasn't nice Sam." She walked around and stood in front of him. "You shouldn't hurt me like that. I know you think you hate me but one day, when you say yes, you'll be my father and you'll love me like the daughter you never had."

"You know I'll never say yes. This is all just a waste of time." He glared at her, almost unable to contain all the rage and hate that dwelled within him.

"Sam, it's not a question of IF you'll say yes, it's WHEN. My father, he can be pretty convincing in ways that you could never dream of. All he has to do is hit just the right button."

"There is nothing in this world that would make me say yes to the devil."

"You think you're so special don't you? That no matter what he says, you'll answer will always be no. Maybe this will give you some perspective. Lucifer, my father, wasn't the only angel that rebelled against heaven. The high and mightiest of all creatures, angels of the garrison, were convinced by Lucifer to rebel against heaven. Their sole purpose for existing, to trust and believe in God, Lucifer made them question and they said yes to him."

Sam stared at Meg in silence and saw the smile begin to cross her lips.

"If he was able to convince angels to rebel against God, what makes you so special?"

---------

"Jo, get up." Dean stood beside her bed, shaking her lightly on the shoulder. "Come on Jo, wake up." Next thing he knew, he was laid out on the floor with blood coming from his nose.

Jo took out her headphones and looked at him. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry." She immediately ran to the bathroom to get some tissues. She came back and sat down next to him, examining the damage she'd done. "I'm so sorry. It was just a reaction. I swear I didn't know it was you."

He grabbed the tissue and started to wipe the blood away. "Good cause if you hit me on purpose, then we might have an issue." He got up and sat on the edge of the bed and Jo did the same. "Castiel just left. He told me Sammy is being held in a house outside of Dadeville, AL."

"Ok, how long til we leave?" She stood up and started grabbing her things.

"We can wait a few hours, til sunrise, let you get a few more hours." He grabbed another tissue and finished cleaning the blood off. Jo turned and faced him.

"I'm good Dean. I know you want to leave as fast as possible to get to Sam. Let's go." Within minutes they were packed and heading out the door. "Wait." She ran back inside and grabbed the last two slices of cold pizza, handing one to Dean.

"I thought you weren't sharing your breakfast." The door closed and they started down the hallway.

"I gave you a bloody nose, thought I would go easy on ya."

They walked out to the Impala and threw their bags in the back seat. "I figured we'd just leave my truck here, you can give me a ride back afterwards?" Dean nodded and she headed over to her truck to grab something. Dean started the ignition and began to look over the atlas as Jo got in and dropped a small box full of cassettes on the floor.

"There better not be any REO in there." He looked up, trying his best to look serious.

"It's a six hour trip, you bet your ass there is." She started thumbing through the cassettes while Dean threw the atlas in the back and turned up the AC/DC.


	7. Chapter 7

_If put up a few chapters this time since I'll be MIA until next week. I hope this holds you all over until then. Thanks again for reading and I hope you all enjoy!!!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Winchesters or anything Eric Kripke and his genius mind comes up with.**

**Rated T for now with only strong language.**

**Spoilers: If you haven't seen any of the 5th season, I suggest not reading (and possibly catching up on your Supernatural)**

**Pairings: Dean/Jo**

**Chapter 7**

"There is no way that Three Dog Night is better than Lynard Skynard! How can you possibly think that? Did you eat paint chips as a kid?" Jo threw her hands up in frustration and looked out the window. "That's so wrong I can't even look at you right now."

"They were under appreciated." Dean was not backing down from this fight. "Joy to the World, One, Mama Told Me, all classics. The lyrics alone set them above Skynard."

"They had like, three hit songs. How many do you hear today? One, _maybe_. Pick a classic rock station and Skynard will be playing every hour. And, they are still touring." Jo looked back at him, daring him to come up with something new but he began to see he was fighting a loosing battle.

"I still love Joy to the World," he muttered quietly. A few moments passed with nothing but the sounds of the radio. "How far out are we?" Jo picked up the atlas and looked it over.

"I'm guessing about half an hour. Dean, if the devil is there, I'm sure that town is crawling with demons."

"Yeah I thought about that. What's the town before it? We'll find a motel there and get a plan together."

"Looks to be…Camp Hill."

They pulled into the dingy motel and checked in to room 13. They threw their bags on the beds and began to salt the windows and draw devil's traps where possible. Dean figured being this close, they couldn't be too careful. He grabbed the laptop and started going through reports as Jo finished up the last trap.

"What ya looking for?"

"Any activity. I'm thinking it's best to find the demons as quick as possible before they know we're here. I don't want Lucifer finding out about us before we get to Sam." Jo nodded in agreement and brought a bag of weapons over to the table to start cleaning. "If he finds out we're here and takes off with Sam, I don't think…"

It hit him all of a sudden. Since he'd found out Sam had been taken, he'd been confident he'd find him. There had never been doubt about Sam giving in to Lucifer or him not getting to him in time. But getting this close and knowing how quickly things could turn, it was like a punch to the gut he hadn't seen coming. What if Lucifer took his brother somewhere and he couldn't find or get to him in time? Demons he knew Sam could handle, but the devil? It seemed almost impossible.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by the feeling of Jo's hand on his. She'd been holding his hand and running her thumb on his cool skin for over a minute now. He looked up and met her determined gaze. "We'll get him back Dean. There's no way we're letting that son of a bitch get Sam."

"I know. I'd never let anything happen to him as long as I live. It's just…sometimes it's a lot Jo. It seems like every time I save him from one evil, another finds him." Jo could see his shoulders drop and his body look suddenly so tired as he glanced down at the table. "I'll never stop fighting for him but…it just never seems to stop."

"If we can do this, if we can stop the devil, maybe then you guys will get some peace. God knows you've earned it."

"Wouldn't that be nice? No more demons or cheap motels or diner food for every meal?" He gave a hint of a smile and Jo could tell he was coming back to her.

"Admit it, you know you'd miss the diner food."

"Yeah, that one I wouldn't give up."

"Well, if we're gonna find Sam, we're gonna need to find some demons to torture first. I better get the artillery ready." With that, Jo slipped her hand away and went to grab the shotgun from her duffel. Dean held his hand there for a minute longer, feeling the warmth of her hand leave his. He looked up at Jo with her back to him for a moment, then turned his attention back to the computer.

"I think I got something." He'd been looking over the information for an hour but he'd finally found a possible lead. Jo put down the bullets and focused on him. "The local police report said four 'loving and faithful' men were reported missing by their families."

"So..."

"Four men in one day."

"There any connection?"

"All four happened to belong to the same hunting lodge. Cops checked the lodge out but no evidence they'd been there."

"So, you're thinking maybe they hide their tracks well and they're waiting somewhere close to the lodge, waiting on some orders from Lucifer?"

"Maybe. It's worth checking out." They started packing the gear and filling up on holy water before they left.

Dean grabbed the knife out of his bag and handed it to Jo. She gave him a puzzled look. "What's a knife gonna do against some demons?"

"Actually, it'll kill them. We got it from a demon a while back and trust me, it works. Just make sure you get them in the neck or the head." She stuck it in the top of her boot and secured it in.

"Thanks."

"You ready?"

"As ever."

They had debated about waiting until dark instead of going after the demons in the middle of the day but they didn't have the luxury of time. There was a good chance the demons would lay low during the day to avoid any attention anyhow. They stopped the car about a half mile away so as not to give away the element of surprise. They grabbed some weapons and started their hike through the forest.

The trees were mostly pine and wouldn't have provided much coverage but the undergrowth had grown tall. They were both relived for the cloudy day otherwise this mid day trek would have been draining on them. They stopped when they saw the clearing ahead with the lodge and a large barn behind it.

"The cops checked the lodge but what about the barn?" Jo asked as she put some extra rock salt shells in her jacket pocket.

"Could be it. I doubt with it being early afternoon they'd be hiding in the lodge. Sneaking around the back of the barn and going in that way might be our best shot." She nodded and followed him as he made his way through the tall overgrowth quietly. They stopped before entering the clearing. "Remember, we need to keep one of them alive."

"I'll do my best." They left the coverage of the brush and ran the twenty yards to the back door. It was slightly ajar and Dean edged it open as quietly as possible. The room they entered was dark and filled with different tools. The doorway in front of them looked to lead into the main, open part of the barn. They opted for the doorway to the left that led to an area covered by the rafters above.

Voices could be heard, orders were being given by one of the demons. It sounded like they were gathering items for something. They crept along behind a wall of hay bales until finding a gap to see through. Three demons were painting markings on the barn floor while another was holding a book and directing them. They had possessed a hunter, a man in a suit, an old man, and a teacher. It looked like they were about to perform a ritual but they didn't want to wait to find out if they were summoning something there.

Dean stepped out from behind the bales and aimed his shotgun at the hunter, catching him completely off guard. Jo followed and took down the suited demon holding the book with some rock salt.

"We were wondering how long before you showed up to try to save your baby brother," the teacher said as he rose up from the floor. "Lucifer would love for you to be there when he says yes."

"Not a chance in hell," Dean said as he pumped another round into the teacher. Jo grabbed the knife from her boot and made her way towards the suit she'd knocked on the floor. He tried to get up but she hit him with the shotgun and jabbed the knife into his neck.

The old man lunged towards Jo but Dean caught him with a shell before he could cover the distance. The hunter and the teacher had recovered though and were coming after Dean. "Damn the Colt would be handy right now." Dean ran back behind the bales and scaled a ladder, getting to the loft before they could catch up with him.

He positioned himself to face the ladder and easily knocked the teacher with a swing of the shotgun. The hunter was another story. He grabbed the shotgun halfway through Dean's swing and tossed it aside as he gained footing on the loft floor.

Jo was having a slightly harder time with the old man. Despite the older body, the demon moved quickly and caught her off guard as he connected on an upper cut to her chin. She landed against a wooden beam and was being raised off her feet before she could recover. He held her up against the beam and grasped her neck, cutting off some much needed oxygen.

She moved her hands within her pockets, looking for the knife and then realizing it was laying ten feet away on the floor. "Guess I have to do this the old fashion way," she thought as she brought her arms down across his elbows, breaking free.

Dean got a few good punches in but the hunter was big and not going down easy. He threw a right rook but it was stopped mid punch. He felt a rib crack as the hunter put all his weight behind the punch. Dean dropped to the ground. The demon smiled, thinking he had the upper hand when Dean pulled a sawed off shotgun from behind his back and knocked the demon down to the barn floor.

Dean looked down and saw Jo fighting with the old man and the teacher sneaking up behind her. He fired off a shot and put a second round into the teacher. He jumped to the floor below and grabbed the knife. He reloaded the shells and shot at the hunter one more time before jabbing the knife into him.

He turned around as he heard a sickening crack behind him. The old man stood over a dazed Jo, holding a two by four. She moved to get back up but her movements were sluggish. Dean covered the ground in seconds and stuck the knife deep into his throat, watching as the electricity shot through him. She looked over at the last demon still on the ground from the last round of rock salt. She stood up and using the shotgun, knocked him out cold.

"You ok?" Dean walked over to Jo and placed his hands on her head, making sure the two by four hadn't done any critical damage.

"I'm not going to be doing complicated math anytime soon, that's for sure." She smiled up at him, catching the worry in his eyes.

"You're bleeding." He moved her bangs out of the way to check the source of the blood. After a second he sighed with some relief. "It's not serious."

"I'll just patch myself up when we get back." She moved out of his hands and looked at the unconscious demon. "Shall we?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Jo walked back into the main room of the barn carrying the bag of weapons they'd left outside. She saw Dean had already drawn the Devil's trap and tied the now conscious demon to the old chair.

"I thought I knocked him out cold," she stated as she dropped the bag on the dusty floor.

"You did. Just persuaded him to wake up a little faster." Jo looked at the deep cuts on it's arms and the bloody knife in Dean's hand. He walked over to the bag and began pulling out holy water and salt. "Jo, you might not want to watch this."

"What? Why?" She looked at Dean but he was avoiding her gaze. He hadn't told her anything about hell or what he'd done down there. He didn't want her to see him torture this demon the way he had Alistar. "Are you really pulling this inexperience hunter shit on me now?"

Dean dipped the knife in the holy water and slowly dropped salt onto it. "No, it's not that. It's just, I don't want you to see _me _do this." He continued working with his back to her.

"I'm not leaving. We're in this together and damn if I'm looking for the PG rated version of this." He stood up with the knife in hand and met her gaze.

"Don't say I didn't warn you." He shifted his focus to the demon and halted when he was within the trap. "Now, I want to know where Sam is." The demon smiled up at Dean with amusement in his eyes.

"Or what, you'll send me back to hell? I'll just get right back out when Lucifer takes over. I'm not scared of you."

"Well, you should be cause see, I will kill you. But depending on what you tell me, I can make it quick or it could last for hours. You know where I've been and what I can do." Jo didn't say anything as she stood behind them but she wondered what he was referring to.

"You mean as Alistar's star student? Yeah, I've heard stories but I hear they're nothing but fairy tales. I've been in hell for centuries, getting tortured everyday, you couldn't do anything new to me."

"Well I guess we'll see." With that, Dean stuck the salted knife deep into the demon's chest and slowly twisted the blade. "Where's Sam?" He twisted a little bit more, almost enjoying the screams that came from within the old man. Finally he withdrew the blade and stared the demon down while it tried to focus through the pain.

"He's in….Disneyland…..with……Mickey." Blood started to drip from the corners of his mouth. Dean stepped back and wiped his brow, wincing a bit from the still cracked rib.

"Jo, see if you can find me a funnel." He didn't dare turn around and see her reaction to his actions but he heard the movement of her steps as she walked away. He looked at the slight cuts on the arm he had done to the demon earlier. "Now I wonder how ten or twenty dip cuts on those arms would feel with a little holy water and salt in them"

Jo walked into the room where they'd seen the tools earlier. She saw the funnel right away but she needed to take a minute. When he'd said he didn't want her to see this, she couldn't have imagined that. She figured he might read some Latin and toss some holy water on him, but that. Where did he learn how to do it? In all the times she'd been around Dean, she felt safe with him, protected. But this side of him, she admitted, scared her a little bit. Maybe his time in hell had changed him more than she thought. She took a deep breath, grabbed the funnel, and walked back out to the floor.

It took Dean only forty-five minutes to break the demon. After numerous cuts with the knife and a few funnels of salt dumped down his throat, he caved.

"He's at…….a farmhouse at the end….of a road….Roger's Lane." The demon slumped in the chair, dropping his head, completely drained of energy. Dean grabbed a rag and began to clean the blood off of his hands. Jo had kept her distance and stayed seated on a bale a few yards away.

"If you're lying…"

"I'm not. Just please….kill me." Dean dropped the rag and tilted his head at the demon.

"Guess those stories you heard weren't fairy tales after all."

That's when Jo saw it. The movement was so quick and unexpected, she couldn't cry out in time. Another demon came up fast behind Dean and shoved a knife deep into his back. He cried out in pain. The demon twisted the knife and he could feel the muscle being torn away from the bones, pain so excruciating he couldn't counter it.

Jo grabbed the knife from the ground and jammed it into the side of the demon's head. She watched as he released the knife from Dean's back and the body fell to the floor, surging with electricity. She quickly disposed of the restrained demon and turned her attention to Dean.

"Dean?!" He sat on his knees gripping his left shoulder and making inaudible noises. "Dean, what do I…?" She tried to think but she was paralyzed with terror as she watched Dean drop to his side.

"Think Jo, come on!" she screamed in her head. His eyes started to close in pain and she snapped out of it. She tore her jacket off and placed it around the knife in his back, making sure not to move it in case it was holding in blood. "Dean, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I can hear you. Son of a bitch demon." Well at least he wasn't too bad if he was pissed.

"Can you move?"

"Feels like he tore my whole shoulder out." He attempted to shift to get up but the pain overtook him. "Damn it!" Jo grabbed the can of salt closest to her and started to make a circle around him.

"I'm going to get the car. Don't move out of the circle in case there's more." She touched his chin lightly so he'd meet her gaze. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'll make it. Just don't hit anything or so help me God…" He stopped as a wave of pain overtook him.

"Well just…hold on. I'll be back in a minute." Jo stood up and ran out of the barn and towards the Impala.

How could she have been so stupid? She'd just sat there the entire time, watching Dean torture that demon, transfixed by the brutality of it. She'd looked away a few times to save herself the sight of the scene unfolding before her but she hadn't backed him up. She should have checked the perimeter and made sure it was clear. Surrounded by evil in this town and she'd sat on her ass.

What hurt the most was he'd trusted her. He'd needed her help to save Sam and watch his back and she'd failed. After all these years hunting she'd made a rookie mistake and gotten someone she cared about hurt. The guilt tore her up as she ran through the woods, the Impala just in sight. She jumped in and was at the barn door in minutes. She flung the large barn door open and ran over to his side.

He was still conscious but she could tell she needed to get that knife out of him and patched up quick. She touched his shoulder and he looked up.

"This is going to hurt like hell but I need you to get up." He nodded and slowly started getting up. Jo slid herself under his good shoulder and held him as he steadied himself. She could tell he was masking the pain which only made her feel guiltier. But she couldn't think about that now. "Ready?"

Within minutes she had him propped up in the front seat. He leaned against the door and was holding his shoulder with his good arm. She slid in the driver's seat and tore off towards the motel.

"Give me your phone."

"What? Why?"

"I'm calling your angel so he can get his ass here." Dean was too tired to argue so he handed it over. She dialed but no answer.

"Castiel, it's Jo. You need to get to the motel in Camp Hill _now_." She slammed the phone shut and they drove the rest of the way in silence.

She finally got him to lie on his stomach in the bed. Thankfully the knife hadn't gone all the way through so she didn't have to worry about him bleeding out from the front. She grabbed the first aide kit out of her bag and some towels.

"I need a bottle." He muttered quietly.

"Of what?"

"Jack. It's in with my clothes." She opened his bag and dug out the fifth he'd stashed in there. She handed it to him and waited for the ok to start operating. After about half the bottle was gone, he told her the pain had numbed and she starting working.

She removed the knife and was able to clean and stitch up the wound but there was nothing she could do about the torn muscles. He'd have to live through the pain until they healed back to the bone unless the angel could fix him. She looked down and saw his eyes shut and his even breaths. She grabbed the bottle from his still hand and took a long swig before setting it down on the table.

"He'll probably be out for a while yet," she thought to herself as she walked around the room checking the salt lines. She'd been too focused on Dean's condition to be cautious about being followed back to the motel. After she'd insured they were safe, she made sure he was breathing regularly before heading to the shower to rinse off the blood.

As the warm water rushed over her, she allowed herself to let her guard down. Ever since Dean had started to torture that demon, she'd tried to focus on the job. They just needed to find Sam and nothing else matters, for now. But alone in the shower she let all the other overpowering details surrounding this mission to rush into her mind.

They were going up against the devil. _The_ devil. Dealing with spirits and demons was no sweat but the creature of all evil? How the hell were they going to win? Just the idea almost paralyzed her with overwhelming fear. Last time the devil had gone to war, it'd taken an army from heaven to stop him. Sure they had Castiel on their side, the only angel that seemed willing to aid them in this war but even he was unpredictable. Dean trusted him but she'd yet to see him as a real help.

And now that they had the address where Sam as being held, tomorrow they would go against Lucifer and they had nothing that could stop him. They might as well go in there with sling shots. She knew they had to get Sam back but it almost seemed like a suicide mission. The idea of leaving and going to her mom while the world was still sane had crossed her mind in the last few days but deep down she knew that could never be an option. As much as she wanted to distance herself from the terror of facing the devil, she couldn't live with herself if something happened to Sam because she knew what it would do to Dean.

She knew what happened when Sam had been killed a few years ago while hunting for the yellow eyed demon and what Dean had done to save his brother. If Lucifer somehow convinced Sam to be his vessel, there would be no bringing him back from that. No deal Dean could make or prayer to God would bring Sam back to him and Dean would be broken and nothing she or anyone could do would fix him.

She thought about him then, lying in the bed in the other room. Being this close to him the last few days had been harder than she thought it would be. She'd long ago surrendered to the fact that he would never love her, not like she wanted. Sam, or the demon, was right in Duluth. He'd thought of her as a sister and romance would never be an option with him. When he'd called asking for her help, she'd agreed because it was the Winchesters and she'd always be there for them.

After they'd hung up, she'd thought about when she'd seen him in Colorado. She'd heard he was back from hell but hadn't seen or heard from him, not that she'd expected to. But when she saw him, she could tell he wasn't quite the same. He seemed to carry more weight on his shoulders and his eyes didn't hold the same wild spark they used to.

So she'd prepared herself for a different Dean when he'd showed up at her motel door but what had happened over the last few days had thrown her off. Their verbal flirting, him not taking his hand away when she held it with reassurance, or when he rushed to her in the barn and the way he moved the bangs out of her face. The look of concern in his eyes had been too much for her and she reacted without thought. She'd immediately moved away out of an inner fear that she was just imagining it, that he was looking at her differently. She knew it was all in her head and the feelings she held for him made these little gestures more than they really were.

She washed the last of the conditioner out of her hair and sighed heavily. She'd allowed herself the time to process her guarded thoughts but she had to bury it all again. Now was not the time to lose focus. She turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her as she stepped out. She'd forgotten to grab a change of clothes from her bag before showering. She opened the door to the motel room and halted at the sight of the strange man before her.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry it's taking me a while to get these chapters up but honestly they've been harder to write. Thanks so much for all the reviews though!_

**Chapter 9**

"Who the hell are you?" Jo asked as she halted inside the frame of the door. The man moved his glance from Dean to her. There was nothing threatening in his demeanor but with Dean so weak and given the circumstances, she didn't want to take any chances. She glanced towards her bag where she'd thrown the knife earlier.

"I'm Castiel." He seemed to take her in for a moment before focusing his attention back to the unconscious Dean. "What happened?"

Dean's Castiel. Jo relaxed as she realized he wouldn't be a threat. "We uh… we found some demons who knew where Sam was and he was getting information from one of them and got ambushed by another with a knife. It was pretty deep but I managed to temporarily fix him up." She stopped and waited to see Castiel's response. After a few silent minutes, she walked closer to him. "Well, aren't you going to fix him? Use your angel mojo?"

"I have none. My powers have been limited due to… recent events."

"What? So he's going to have to fight the devil with half a shoulder?" Jo felt the stab of guilt for the hundredth time.

"No, he won't fight the devil, not yet. His role in the apocalypse is not absolute. We're still trying to find another way."

"So what do we do next?"

"Wait for the opportune moment to go after Sam, when the threat of the devil's presence will be less. Until then, he needs to rest. For now though, I must go."

"But you just got here? We need your help in this."

"I know but I won't be far this time. There is a demon in town I must see who could have pivotal information about the devil's plans. I'll be back in the morning. Don't act until then" And with that, he disappeared from the room.

It took a second for Jo to move. She'd been anxious to meet the angel but now she was disappointed with his inability to help Dean. She shook her head and moved towards her bag to grab some clothes. After she got dressed, she sat at the table and did some research, waiting for Dean to wake.

Around 2 AM, she heard movement from the bed and looked up from her laptop. She watched as he struggled himself up into a sitting position. He saw the glass and pills she'd put on the night stand an hour ago and he downed them quickly.

"It hurt?" she asked softly.

"The shoulder or the head?" he said as his sleepy eyes met hers.

"Both?"

"Yes to both then."

"I tried to patch you up the best I could with what I had but I couldn't do anything about the torn muscles. Castiel couldn't either."

"What? He was here?"

"Yeah, a few hours ago. Said he couldn't fix you cause he lost his angel powers."

"Figures. Did he say anything about Sam?" Dean moved so that he was resting up against the headboard. He tried to move some pillows around to act as support but was having trouble. Jo got up and helped him until he was resting upright. She sat down at the end of his bed before answering.

"He said we needed to wait until Lucifer wasn't there. Go in while the threat isn't too great. He didn't say anything about Sam though so he must still be alright."

"We need to do something soon. I can't just keep leaving him there Jo."

"When it's light, we can go do some recon. At least we'll know what we're up against."

"I don't think we can wait that long."

"We'll have to Dean. We need Castiel to help and you in better shape. Going in now unprepared, it's just going to get us both killed."

Dean didn't answer but she could tell he was in no way happy about it. The unknowing of what Sam was going through was killing him. He leaned his head back until he was facing the ceiling.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"Where did you learn how to torture that demon like that? I've never seen anything like that before." He continued looking up at the ceiling. He knew sooner or later she'd ask that question. Back in the barn he'd hoped she'd listened to him and left him alone with the demon. He didn't want her to see the torture but she'd insisted on staying and he didn't have the time to argue. Once he'd started, he completely forgotten she was there until she pulled the other demon off of him.

"When I was in hell. The uh….the torture, it's something the demons in the pit prided themselves on and they would practice on each other. Being down there so long, I kind of picked it up."

"Did you ever….torture anyone?" She hoped the answer was no but after what she saw this afternoon, she wasn't so sure.

"No, never had to. Got out before that time," he lied. There was no way he was admitting the truth to her. He couldn't admit that big of a sin to her.

"It was bad wasn't it? Down there?" He sighed heavily, not wanting to relive it. He moved his eyes from the ceiling to the bedspread, avoiding eye contact with her. It'd been a year since he crawled out but he could still feel the chains every day, ripping through his body.

"Yeah. Every day was harder than the last. In the beginning, I had hope you know? Maybe Sam or Bobby could get me out somehow. But after awhile…the hope kind of leaves ya. You just slowly accept that that's it, you're trapped forever. I would have never thought this but waking up in that pine box six feet under was…amazing. It was scary as hell but I knew that I was alive and out of the pit."

Silence filled the room as Jo took it all in. She figured Dean had edited it some to keep her from the horrors he lived through and she was thankful for it. She'd wondered about his experience in hell because of the changes she saw in him but she'd been cautious about asking.

"I'm glad you're back." She knew it sounded corny but she needed him to know it. He gave her a hint of a smile.

"Me too. Despite all this shit that's going on, me too." Silence overtook the room while they both searched for something to say.

"We should probably get some sleep before Castiel gets back."

"Yeah, going into a house full of demons isn't going to work too well with a hangover." Dean moved forward on the bed and tried to lie down. Jo could tell the pills for the headache were doing nothing to help his shoulder. She got some pain pills from her bag and sat next to him.

"Here, take these. They'll help with the pain." He grabbed the pills and downed them with ease.

"Thanks, for everything."

"You're welcome." He closed his eyes and settled into the bed. He twisted his bruised body trying to find the best position that caused him the least amount of pain. As he fell asleep, he could feel the soft touch of her hands as she ran them slowly through his hair.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

By this point, Sam had given up on trying to figure out what day it was. Being in the enclosed room 24/7, he'd lost track of the days (or weeks) he'd been there. He'd held onto the hope the first few days that Dean would find him soon but after awhile the reality set in. Dean had no idea where he'd gone after they'd split in Colorado and even if he had tried to track Sam, Lucifer would have moved him far away from his last location. With no phone to track him, Sam lost hope in being saved. His only way out now would be on his own but even that was unlikely.

Meg had brought in food from time to time but he would only eat enough to keep him alive. With the lack of nourishment, his body had grown weak and tired. Even if he could get out of the cables that bound him to the chair, he would have to go through who knows how many demons and he didn't have the energy to fight.

Lucifer had yet to visit him again and Sam secretly hoped he'd forgotten about him. Or better yet, the angels had contained him. Meg continued her daily visits, trying to wear him down as best she could. She tried to convince him in numerous ways but Sam just refused to answer her.

"Hello Sam."

He felt his heart drop at the voice. His hope that he'd been forgotten, however wishful, was crushed. Lucifer placed a chair next to him and sat. "How you holding up?" Sam didn't lift his head and let the silence be his answer.

"I know you're angry at me for this, for keeping you here against your will. I hate to put you of all people through this but I must. It's for your own protection. If the angels got a hold of you, and they knew your destiny as my vessel, they would destroy you."

"No."

"They would Sam. The angels see humans as parasites to the earth and wouldn't hesitate to smite you."

"And you don't?"

"I don't _hate_ humans Sam. Yes, I was angry with God at one point for their creation but I just loved God _so_ much and I wished he'd loved my brothers the same."

"So, you don't hate humans but you want to bring on the apocalypse and kill everyone so God will love you again?"

"I never said I would kill everyone. Sure, they'll be some causalities of war just like all the wars men have had over the centuries..."

"But you'd release hell on earth. Demons would ruin humanity." Lucifer shook his head as Sam looked at him.

"No they wouldn't. The demons, well most of them anyhow, wouldn't survive the apocalypse. I wouldn't let them."

"But they're yours….your soldiers."

"Honestly, I despise them. When I was banished from heaven, my punishment was to reign over hell. Evil souls and demons had been banished there before I fell and I was sent to contain the evil. I was to look over them and contain them from threatening the existence of humanity. They, over time, grew loyal to me and after spending centuries with them, some became my trusted ones. Those trusted few I would spare but most demons I'd execute once the angels were defeated. They are the true threat to the earth. They have lost God and don't care about the human race."

"So these demons that have followed you for centuries, you're going to kill once you win?"

"Yes."

"Then how did you ever suppose I would trust you when you're going to lie to your own followers?"

"Because they see earth as a playground. A place to run wild and torture God's creation. But that's not what I want. What I want is a paradise on earth cleansed of evil and sin."

"But you're evil." Lucifer fixed his eyes on the younger Winchester and almost looked hurt at Sam's statement.

"No I'm not Sam. They, the angels and the bible, they claimed I was evil but I'm not. In the end, I just want peace and I could give you that. If you let me in, we could bring peace to this earth that has been tearing itself apart since time began. And your brother, he wouldn't have to fight anymore. He could have what he's always wanted, a true normal life. He doesn't want to admit it but he's tired too. He just wants the fight to end and we could give that to him. All you have to do is say 'yes' and we can create the paradise that earth should have always been."

Sam was silent. He was strong, he knew it but all that he had been put through began to wear on him. He was so tired of it all. Tired of feeling like he didn't belong, like the freak he'd always hoped he wasn't. Tired of living in motels and leading anything but a normal life. Tired of watching his brother sacrifice himself repeadedly for him and knowing he would do it again in a heartbeat. More than anything, Sam was tired of being strong.

So what if he said yes? Some people might die and the demons in the pit would roam the earth but Lucifer would take care of them. And this eternal struggle between hell and heaven would be finished. Maybe it could be a paradise on earth.

"No," he said out loud. Lucifer sighed and looked at Sam with a sadness in his eyes.

"I wish you would. I know you don't believe me but it would be better. This world, it's chaos right now but I could make it better. I just wish you would realize that."

"Dean, he wouldn't want me to."

"He doesn't understand. Dean doesn't know what I can do for this world."

"My answer is no." Sam dropped his head and closed his eyes, hoping that Lucifer would leave and let him be.

"I won't give up on you Sam. I know eventually you'll understand and you'll invite me in." Sam knew he had gone but didn't bother opening his eyes. It was easier to just continue to sit still and feel nothing.

--------

Dean was woken up by the sun peaking through the curtains and washing over his eyes. His headache had reduced but he could feel the painful pull in his left shoulder. He'd have to pop some more pills and soon. He went to sit up but stopped when he saw Jo lying next to him asleep.

He remembered her giving him the pain pills and the feeling of her tiny hands running through his hair, putting him to sleep. She had falling asleep on her side, facing him, probably trying to keep watch over him.

He stared, transfixed by her soft breathing that raised and lowered her body. She was normally full of fire but seeing her like this made him smile. He knew she tried to stay guarded all the time, to showcase the strength that she possessed but in this moment, she was at peace. He needed to get up, to get ready to go after Sam, but he also wanted to just stay in the old motel bed. Watching her sleep had an affect on him and honestly, he liked it.

He'd been afraid to get close to anyone because he knew what would happen. They would be put in danger and possibly end up like his mom or Jess did and he couldn't live with that. That's why he'd always favored the one night stands over the years and letting only Sam get close. Made life easier. But she was different. She was strong and he knew she could always handle herself. He'd been intrigued from the moment she punched him in the Roadhouse the first time they'd met but it had been the wrong place, wrong time. Since then he'd tried to make their meetings over the years as brief as possible, forbidding himself to see her as anything other than another acquaintance.

Even as he thought about it though, he realized he didn't know how she felt and he shouldn't kid himself. The little moments they'd shared over the last few days, maybe it was just her helping him get through this, to help him deal with missing Sam. Still…

"Hey." He watched as she yawned and stretched her body. "What are you doing?"

"Just thinking."

"Worried about Sam?"

"Um, yeah. Just…..figuring out a plan." Jo rolled out of the bed and flexed her back.

"Got anything yet?"

"I'm thinking some recon."

"Sounds good. How's the shoulder?" Dean sat up and moved it a bit, analyzing the pain.

"Hurts like a bitch but with some more pain pills, it'll feel like brand new." He slowly got up from the bed and opened the bottle of pills. After downing a few, they began getting the weapons together and preparing for what they were about to face.

Within the hour, Castiel arrived.

"You find what you were looking for?" Jo asked as she loaded the sawed off shot gun. Castiel stood next to the windows as Jo and Dean moved about the room.

"No. I was hoping to extract some information from a demon about Lucifer's whereabouts but it claimed to know nothing. So we must be careful when we go after Sam."

"You think Lucifer will still be there?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. We should assess the situation before we attack."

"You mean recon? You could have just recon," said Jo.

"Yes, recon. You and I will leave now and see how many demons are there and if Lucifer is present."

"What? You mean just you and Jo? No, I'm going Cas. I can't just sit around here. If we have a chance to get to Sam, I have to take it."

"That isn't wise. If Lucifer is there, we have no way of defeating him. He would also likely take the opportunity to kill you since you are destined to be the Michael sword. Jo and I will go and assess the situation. You will stay here."

"Cas there is no way….."

"He's right Dean," Jo said as she stopped packing. "We can't risk you. If Lucifer is there, we can't risk him getting to you. If he is gone, and we can get to Sam, we'll let you know."

"But what if Lucifer is there, what are we going to do?" Dean asked.

"Then I will distract him as Jo gets to Sam. He can't resist confronting an angel of the garrison. He knows he's in need of troops and the more angels he gains to his side, the more successful he'll be. With me falling, he'll try to convert me."

"No. What if the house is crawling with demons? One person can't take them all on."

"It's likely that if Lucifer is there, he won't have an army of demons with him. He would have sent them to gather information about opening the gates to hell to bring forth his true army."

"Dean, we'll get him back. I know you don't want to sit this out but if it's clear, if Lucifer is gone, we won't make a move without you." He didn't like it and she could tell but he had no other choice. Neither of them was going to let him go along and he would only be minutes away if they needed help.

"You call me as soon as you find out if that son of a bitch is there or not."

"We will."

"We need to get going," Castiel said as he moved towards the door. Jo grabbed her bags and followed Castiel as he opened the door and stepped into the hallway. Dean crossed the room and clutched her arm before she made it to the doorway. She turned and met his gaze.

"Don't worry, we'll get him back. And if it's safe, we'll let you know, I promise."

"I know but, I just…be careful ok? Your mother would kill me if something happened to you." She smiled at his statement because she knew it was true.

"Yeah, she probably would." She felt the fear again, to rush out before that feeling of hope inside her resurfaced but she was possibly about to go up against the devil. "Screw it." She dropped her bag and wrapped her arms around him. As she placed her head on his chest and gripped him tight, she felt him return the hug. She was about to march into hell and right now, she'd never felt better. He tightened his hold and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head. Her heart couldn't help but jump in her chest.

She pulled away and met his gaze. It was overrun with worry and yet, there was something else behind his green eyes but she couldn't place it.

"We need to go." Of course, Castiel had to say something and snap them both back to reality. Jo took a breath and stepped back as Dean slowly let her go. She picked up her bags and looked over her shoulder once before following Castiel out the door.

* * *

_So what do you think? I've got about 4-5 more chapters and I promise, the action will pick up. Until then though, you might want to check this out. It's one of the best videos I've ever seen for Supernatural on YouTube:_

_"The Fallen in the War" by SecretlyToDream (I'd post the link but FanFic wouldn't let me)_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

"And we are good to go." Jo put her knife back in her boot and pushed the exposed chords back into the steering column of the borrowed truck. She threw the truck into reverse and headed off to the address they'd gotten from the demon.

"Joanna, we must be careful…"

"Jo. Please Cas, just call me Jo."

"Jo. We must be careful and not rush into anything. I need to be absolutely certain that Lucifer is distracted or gone before either of us makes a move. If he anticipated our arrival, he would likely move Sam to another location and I doubt we would find him again."

"Are you worried that Sam will say yes?" She couldn't contain the worry in her voice and glanced at Castiel.

"The devil can be convincing, even to the most stubborn of souls. I don't doubt Sam but he's unlike any force he's ever had to face."

"Then let's get this right the first time." With that, Jo pushed the gas petal down and turned up the radio to drown out her thoughts.

Jo stopped the truck about a half mile away from the dead end lane. She opened the door and dropped the tailgate of the old pickup. She reached for one of the bags and started equipping herself with the necessary weapons. She placed a flask of holy water in her back pocket and slipped the knife into her boot and made sure she had enough rounds in the shotgun before focusing her attention on Castiel.

"So what's the plan?" Castiel shifted his attention from Jo to the road in front of them.

"I'll get as close to the house as possible without being detected and see if I can sense Lucifer's presence. If he's still there, we'll have to attack him ourselves. If he's not, Dean will assist us with rescuing Sam."

"So you want me to just stay here?" She hadn't really loved the idea of going up against the devil but being this close to the battlefield, she couldn't help but feel disappointed, being told to stay behind as her body pumped with adrenaline.

"Yes, I'll only be a moment." And with that, Castiel disappeared.

"Ok, good talk." Jo grabbed the shotgun and walked towards the front of the truck and leaned against the grill. She'd made the mistake of letting a demon get the jump on her before and damn it if that would happen again. She scanned the woods and the road ahead but there was no movement.

She grabbed the other flask from her back pocket and took a swig of the bitter Jack she'd stolen from Dean's fifth earlier. She figured a little liquid courage never hurt in a situation like this. Her body was nervous and overwhelmed with the anticipation of the approaching fight. She started as she heard a slight flutter of wings from her side.

"He's gone." Castiel wasn't one for emotions but Jo could see the relief in his body and she felt her own body mimick the feeling. She flipped her phone open and dialed the familiar number.

"Dean? We're Lucifer free. Ok, see ya in a minute." She shut the phone and placed it back into her jacket pocket. "Were there many demons?"

"More than I anticipated but not an army. Nothing we can't handle"

"Could you tell if Sam was still there? If he was….ok?" Castiel's gaze turned from the road to Jo. She couldn't tell if it was frustration or fear that she saw in him.

"I couldn't detect him but that doesn't mean anything. A while back I encrypted his bones with a spell that makes him impossible for demons and angels to find him." Not the most reassuring answer but it gave her hope. She was about to reply when she heard the distant sound of an engine. She walked around to the back of truck and saw the black Impala appear over the crest of the hill.

"How the hell did he get here that fast?" Jo thought as she watched the car slow to a stop yards away. Dean opened the door before the engine was dead and popped the trunk, revealing his personal arsenal. Jo repeated her question but this time, out loud. "I called you like five minutes ago. How'd you get here that fast?"

Dean slung a canvas bag over his good shoulder and grabbed his shotgun. He slammed the trunk and walked towards them. "I left the motel a few minutes after you did and parked a few miles away." He focused on Castiel. "No devil?"

"No, I can't detect him."

"How many demons?"

"Not sure but I felt about ten, maybe fifteen."

"Ok, let's go." Dean started down the road with Jo and Castiel following. The woods were thick on either side of the road and would offer a cover as they closed in on the farmhouse. He felt the canvas bag begin to slide off his shoulder and he shrugged it back into place. He caught his breath at the pain if gave him in his ribs and left shoulder. He'd downed more than the recommended dose of pain pills before getting Jo's call in hopes of numbing the persistent pain but they hadn't kicked in yet. His cracked rib still pulsated with pain on every quick movement of his body and his shoulder made it almost impossible to hold the shotgun. He knew his body was pleading for rest but that wasn't an option, not now. He had to get Sam back and he'd just have to do what he did best, bury his pain and soldier on.

As they neared the lane, they slowed their pace in caution. Jo and Dean both held their guns slightly raised while Castiel's gaze scanned their surroundings. The lane was the same as the road they'd been on but with a canopy of trees overshadowing the gravel road. They could see a building about a half mile down where the trees seemed to give way to an open area.

"What do ya think? Halfway down the lane, make for the cover in the trees?" Jo asked as she stopped next to Dean.

"Yeah, see what we're up against and find the best way to attack without sounding the alarm. Cas, you still able to yank demons?"

"Yes, I can still exorcise them."

"Then let's go." They made their way down the lane until they were close enough to move into the woods. Dean pushed through the thick underbrush as quietly as possible to avoid detection. Once the house was in sight, they followed the tree line around to the back of the house and dropped their weapons bags behind some bushes. Jo and Dean kneeled down and rummaged through the bags, grabbing as many weapons as they could carry.

"Go in the back door?" Jo asked as she pumped the shotgun. Dean surveyed the farmhouse and the small shed to its left.

"Looks like the best bet. Split up when we get in, Cas take the basement and we'll head upstairs."

They watched as a demon appeared around the corner of the house and walked the length of the wrap around porch. It looked into the woods and held its gaze for what seemed like hours. Dean and Jo held their breath, afraid to move a muscle and give away their position. Finally, it slowly turned and headed back in front of the house until it disappeared.

They both exhaled and exchanged relieved looks. "Ok, let's go." Dean broke out of the woods first with Jo and Castiel right behind him. They pressed their bodies up against the faded white paint exterior of the old farmhouse while Dean tried to quietly open the back door.

Once the door was open far enough, they slipped through the opening and into the laundry room. There was a doorway immediately in front of them that lead to the kitchen and they raised their shotguns as they slowly entered the door frame.

As they stepped into the large kitchen, two demons came at them from different sides. The shotgun Jo had been holding was stripped from her grip and slid across the length of the kitchen floor. As the demon swung his massive fist towards her, she ducked and retrieved the knife from her boot. She gripped the handle tight and thrust the blade through the demon's neck.

Dean had managed to keep hold of his shotgun and used it to hold the other demon up against the wall as Castiel exorcised it. It's eyes went wide with terror and it emitted inhuman screams as the black smoke left the now limp body.

"Guess the secrets out. We gotta move!" Jo said as she wiped the thick blood from the knife on her jeans. Dean released the now vacant body and it slumped heavily to the floor as Castiel moved forward through the kitchen.

Jo crossed the room and retrieved her fallen shotgun. She stopped next to Castiel as he turned turns her. "I'll check the basement for Sam. We must move quickly before more demons arrive."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Dean moved past them into the empty dining room as Castiel turned left down the hallway and disappeared. The two hunters moved in silence with their guns raised. The dining room led to a large living room with overturned furniture covered in years of dust and cobwebs.

Jo swept the left side of the room as Dean walked by the windows looking for any sign of the demons. "Something isn't right. With Sam here, we should be getting swarmed by demons right now."

"Maybe it's a trap." Jo's heart beat raced as she said it, hoping they hadn't just rushed in foolishly. Dean was right though. If Sam was such a priority to Lucifer, he wouldn't leave him here unguarded. Something was wrong or maybe…The next thought that crossed her mind scared her more than the trap. What if Sam wasn't here at all?

She looked at Dean as he continued searching the grounds, probably hoping for some sign that they were right. She felt the pity began to rise inside her and she wanted so badly to be wrong and to hear Sam's voice call out for help but there was nothing. No movement, no sound, just the deafening silence of the old farmhouse.

"We've got to keep looking. He's here, somewhere. He's here." Jo could tell the statement was more to convince himself than anything. She walked towards the doorway that led to the front lobby.

"Dean." He moved towards her and stopped in front of the large staircase that led to the second level. He slowly placed his foot on the bottom step and made his way up the stairs with Jo behind him. As Dean reached the top, he kneeled down and looked around the bottom corner of the wall. The dark blue hallway stretched for about twenty feet and there were four closed doors.

"Damn it," he thought. "I'm going to have to bust into every one of these blind." He turned to tell her how they were going to handle the situation but he didn't have the time. "Jo!"

She whirled around to see two demons rushing out of the living room and focusing their black eyes on the hunters. "Go Dean!"

"I can't…"

"Go! Find Sam," she yelled without even turning back to him. She rose and fired the shotgun at the closest demon. Dean watched as she flew down the stairs and got a second shot off at the other demon. He didn't want to leave her but the gunshots would alert every demon in a mile radius.

He turned and ran into the upstairs hallway, throwing his good shoulder into the first door he came to. Nothing. He turned back towards the hallway but halted as a large demon overtook the doorway.

"Where's Sam you son of a bitch?!" He raised the shotgun and pumped a round into the chamber but his question was only met with a slow smile from it's lips. He unloaded two shells into the demon, knocking it against the wall of the hallway. As he went to pump another round, the demon got to it's feet and crossed the space between them with amazing speed.

It knocked Dean onto the hard wooden floor and his body erupted with pain as his shoulder took the brunt of the weight. He bit his lip, containing a scream that would only bring pleasure to the demon standing over him. It grabbed his shirt collar and brought him unwillingly to his feet. It slammed Dean into the wall and closed it's fingers around his throat.

Dean tried desperately to pry away it's fingers but the inhuman strength was too much. He moved his hands quickly through his pockets, searching for the flask of holy water. He felt the cold metal in his right pocket and unscrewed the cap as his lungs began to burn with lack of air. He thrust the water towards the demon's face and was instantly dropped by the large hands.

He managed to catch his weight and stay up on his feet as the demon took a few ungraceful steps back. He picked his shotgun up from the floor and swung it towards the fazed demon. He knew he wouldn't be able to kill it without the knife and the rock salt would only continue to piss it off but he had to get by it somehow. He glanced behind his shoulder and stepped back towards the wide window.

The demon had regained it's composure and focused it's black eyes on Dean. "Come on, what are ya waiting for? Bring it on bitch." It charged at Dean full force which is just what he'd hoped for. He shifted to the right side of the window a second before it reached him and used it's momentum to send it crashing through the window to the ground below. It wouldn't kill it but it would buy Dean a few seconds to get to Sam.

He quickly crossed the hall and barged into the other room, coming up empty again. The next room yielded the same results. He brought the shotgun up with his right hand, ready to shoot when he entered the last door at the end of the hall. As he reached for the handle, he swung the door open and scanned the room with the gun raised.

Nothing. No demons, no Sam, no nothing. He made his way around the chair in the middle of the room and looked in the closet and under the bed but there was no sign. Sam was gone.


	12. Chapter 12

_Sorry for not posting this as quick (having trouble with the Document Manager) but thanks so much for the reviews. I promise I'll get the next few chapters up soon. Until then, enjoy!!!!!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Winchesters or anything Eric Kripke and his genius mind comes up with.**

**Rated T for now with only strong language.**

**Spoilers: If you haven't seen any of the 5th season, I suggest not reading (and possibly catching up on your Supernatural)**

**Pairings: Dean/Jo**

**Chapter 12**

"Dean?!" Jo moved through the hallway, going from room to room. She'd seen blood in the first room and a broken window but no Dean. She called for him numerous times but was met with silence, which made the dread within her build. "Why the hell isn't he answering me?" She yelled inside her head as she moved into another room. "Dean?! Where are you?" She stepped into the last room at the end of the hallway and saw the oldest Winchester standing deathly still in the middle of the room.

"What the hell!? Why didn't you answer me?" She scanned the room but saw no signs of a struggle. Or Sam. He still hadn't answered her and she wasn't even sure if he heard her to begin with. She closed the distance between and halted in front of him. He should have been looking right at her but when she studied his face she realized he was gazing at nothing, his eyes unwilling to focus. His green eyes shifted slightly as she saw his mouth moving, saying something inaudible.

"Dean?" Not now. Please God don't let this be the moment that Dean Winchester decides to fall off the deep end. She'd finished off the two demons down stairs but who knows how many more were coming for them. She couldn't do this alone and there was no way she would leave him in this state.

"He's gone. They……gone……I lost." His speech was barely audible and Jo was only catching bits and pieces as he continued staring off at something only he could see.

"It's ok, we'll find him. Maybe Cas found something. We gotta go. Just standing here isn't going to help." She waited to see his body snap back to reality but if anything, she could see the panic begin to rise within him and take over.

"I failed…. Couldn't protect…." His jaw muscles began to clench.

"Dean! Snap out of it! Sam is depending on you and we have to find him."

What came next was so low and soft through his lips that she almost missed it. "They're gonna win."

"Damn it! That's it. No more of this bullshit." She stepped back and landed a hard slap across his cheek. The shock of the slap knocked him a step back but his eyes immediately focused on the blonde hunter in front of him. "Sam's here and we have to find him. I need you to focus. _Now_."

She watched as he seemed to righten himself from the inside out and take in a deep breath. "You're right. I just….just lost it for a second."

"I noticed." She softened her tone. "You ok?"

"Yeah I'm…I'm good." He was still shaken from coming up empty handed. He'd been almost positive Sam was in here. When he'd walked into the empty room and realized he was wrong, all the stress and pain from the last few days was too much. In that moment, he thought he'd lost him and he'd shut down. But after the rude awakening thanks to a surprisingly strong slap from Jo, he snapped back into soldier mode. "You find anything?"

"No. As soon as I finished off those two demons, I came after you. Anything up here? Any clues about where he might be?"

"Not that I've seen yet but…" he moved towards the chair in the middle of the room. He'd been in such a rush entering that he hadn't noticed the chair was securely bolted to the floor boards. He squatted down and saw the cut cables that fell about the floor. "Looks like these cables were cut in a hurry. Like maybe they knew we were coming."

"So maybe he's still close. Maybe Cas found something in the basement." Jo headed towards the door but stopped when she didn't hear Dean follow. He was still squatting next to the chair and inspecting something on his finger tips.

"It's blood, and fairly fresh. Looks like Sammy tried to put up a fight when they moved him." It wasn't anything big but he grinned at the thought. All the shit Sam had gone through over the last few days and his brother was still fighting.

Dean stood up and followed Jo as she made her way back down the hallway. When they got to the bottom of the steps, he noticed the state the two demons had been left in.

"Damn Jo, didn't go easy on them did ya?" She gave him a slight smile and continued moving towards the back of the house, gun raised.

"They shouldn't have pissed me off by trying to kill me." She stopped in front of the dark doorway to the basement. She glanced around the top of the stairs for any kind of light switch but came up short. "Looks like we're heading into the dark."

"I got your back." He stayed a few feet behind her in case he needed to get a shot off as they descended into the blackness of the basement. She stopped every few steps, listening for any movement, any indication of an attack. As she left the bottom step for the cold concrete floor of the basement, she felt something lightly swing against her forehead. She reached up and pulled the string and was rewarded with a weak light that barely lit the basement.

"Cas?" Dean scanned the dimly lit room but didn't see the angel. There was, however, numerous bodies laying about the concrete floor. "Looks like he did some damage. What is there like four of them?"

"Six. Two under the staircase." Jo moved towards the closest body and checked for a pulse. "He's gone." She continued moving through the basement, checking pulses and looking for signs of Castiel.

"Can demons kill angels? Could they have killed Cas?" She hadn't known the angel for more than twenty-four hours but he was still an ally. And in this war that was upon them, they needed all the allies they could get.

"No, demons can't take them, only other angels. He's got to be here somewhere, he wouldn't just take off," he said as his eyes shifted to the floor. Blood, trailing across the basement floor. One trail seemed to head up the stairs while the other he followed towards the wall. He got the lighter out from his pocket and ignited the darkness.

At the base of the wall was a fresh pool of blood. It couldn't have come from Cas but if it had come from Sam, it would be too much. He'd banked on them not hurting him, not wanting to tarnish Lucifer's vessel but he could be wrong. They could have reduced to torture in their efforts to convince him. Maybe… He lifted the lighter up to eye level to reveal the writing on the wall.

"Damn it!" Jo quickly made her way towards Dean. She stopped next to him when she saw the bloody symbols on the basement walls.

"What is it?"

"It's a ritual to get rid of an angel. Draw them on the wall, place a bloody hand on it, and the angel disappears. Damn it!" He didn't know how close they were to Sam or what else they would have to do to go through to get him back but they could have used the angel up their sleeve.

"Where's it send him?"

"Not sure. Waiting room in heaven, Pluto, could be anywhere. Thing is, takes him a while to get back. We might have to go solo the rest of the mission."

"So where's the rest of the blood go?"

"I bet it leads us to whatever big bad sent Cas away. It's fresh too. Maybe wherever this blood goes, that's where they got Sam." Dean followed the trail to the bottom of the steps and saw a few droplets leading upstairs. He sprinted up the stairs two at a time and continued through the house until he was standing on the front porch. Jo caught up with him and noticed the blood trailed off to the left of the house.

"Looks like it leads to either the woods or that shed."

"I'm thinking the shed's where they got him holed up. God knows how many demons are in there though. Might have to split up, attack from two sides."

"Think there's a back door?"

Dean walked to the corner of the house and peered around the corner at the old white shed across the yard. Its large sliding doors were slightly ajar but there were no windows he could see. They'd be walking in blind but at this point, he didn't have another option. The demons knew they were there and putting Sam through God knows what, trying to persuade him before they got to him. He had to get to him.

"You slip in the back, see if you can get to Sam. I'll take the front and cause a diversion."

"What? That's suicide Dean. I'm not letting you do that. You've got a cracked rib and a barely functioning shoulder." She looked at him, slightly angry that he was so quick to be the self sacrifice again. After all he'd gone thru, he was still willing to jump in the line of fire for his brother without hesitation.

"You got another plan? Hate to break it to you but we're all he's got right now and who knows how soon until Lucifer gets back. This is our only chance." She hated the idea of it, of him taking the full brunt of the demons wrath while she snuck in the back. She'd prefer to go in guns blazing with him but he was right. She could see in his eyes that this was all he had left. If Sam wasn't in there or if he didn't get to him in time, the catatonic state she'd found him in upstairs would be permanent. They had to take this chance.

"Fine but don't do anything too ballsy and get yourself killed. I don't feel like having the wrath of heaven brought down on me cause their prized possession got killed."

"Don't worry, they'll still get the chance to pull my strings some more, promise."

Jo slowly glanced around the corner, just enough to eye the shed. "Not seeing any demons. We've either overestimated how many were here or just how big the one demon is they have guarding Sam."

"If he's as important as I think he is my money's on the one big demon. No way Lucifer would leave him here protected by some henchmen demons."

"You take the front and I'll loop around the back and try to stay undetected. If I can get Sam loose, that's three against one. Betters the odds."

"Let's go." Dean moved past her and turned the corner to walk the length of the porch. He waited until he saw Jo jump off the porch and head to the far side of the yard. She moved along the tree line until she was directly behind the shed and out of Dean's eye sight.

He walked to the edge of the porch and slowly dropped to the ground. Even as he tried to land gracefully, he could still feel the piercing pain of his cracked rib. "This is so going to suck," he thought as he moved quickly towards the shed door. He stopped short of the opening to the shed, taking a second to compose himself against the wooden door. His body was overrun with pain and he was mentally exhausted but if Sam was in there, that's all he needed. He took a step and moved slowly into the shed.

At first he couldn't see anything, his eyes having to adjust to the light in the barn. He'd been wrong about the windows. There were a few up the left side that allowed just enough light in for him to see throughout the spacious shed. A smile broke across his lips at the sight of Sam strapped into a chair in the middle of the space.

He scanned the shed quickly for any sign of a trap before moving towards him. The shed's size was misleading from the outside. There was a small room to the right but it appeared empty. Except for a wheelbarrow, a tool bench, and a small loft upstairs, the shed was bare. He looked behind Sam and saw a doorway that led to another room that ran the length of the back of the shed. He hesitated a moment. After everything they'd gone through, it shouldn't be this easy. There should be an army of demons or a big bad standing somewhere between him and his brother but there appeared to be nothing.

"Sammy? Can you hear me? Sammy?" he whispered across the divide, trying to get a reaction from his brother's still form. Panic began to rise within him as he quickly moved towards his brother. If something was waiting for him, maybe he could get to his brother in time before it appeared. With about three steps to go, he felt his body get pulled back and thrown into the shed's wall. The gun fell from his grasp as his body became still against his will. He tried to move but he knew it was hopeless.

"About time you got here Dean-O." From the shadows a woman with long dark hair appeared. She held a wicked smile as she crossed the distance between them. "Miss me did ya?"

"Meg."

"Funny how you just keep running in to me." She placed her hands on her hips as she looked up at the pinned hunter.

"What'd you do to Sam?"

"He's fine, just taking a little nap. We needed to move him but he keep trying to fight so I had to knock him out. Just seemed easier."

"You won't get him. Sam, he's too strong. He'll never say yes to that son of a bitch."

"How do you really know? He said yes to Ruby even after you told him not to. He kept drinking the demon blood. You may think you know your brother but you have no idea what he's been through. What he's really feeling. You see, why you've been running around the country trying to find him, Sam and Lucifer have had some quality time together. Gave him someone to talk to."

"No, he wouldn't listen to him. Deep down, he's not like that. He's still my brother and we're stronger than that." His body was unable to move because of Meg's hold on him, otherwise, it would be shaking with anger.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night honey." Dean looked at her arms and saw the dark red that bled from them.

"It was you. You're the one that sent Cas away." She smiled in triumph and slowly rolled her sleeves up to reveal the deep cuts on her forearm.

"Neat little trip I picked up. Thought only other angels could do it but as long as you're not human, you can work the magic touch."

"Where'd you send him?" Dean knew she wouldn't have an answer but at that moment, he remembered Jo. He hadn't seen her but maybe if he stalled Meg, she could get to Sam and get him free.

"Hell if I know. Tibet maybe? Just needed to get him away from you."

"Why? So you could finally succeed in killing me where you've failed so many times?"

"Something like that. See, one on one, Cas could take me so I had to get him out of the picture. When I found out you were on the way for a daring rescue of your little baby brother, it was perfect. Sammy here was the prize, what we'd always been after. But you, you're the cherry on top of the sundae. When my father gets back and sees that I have Michael's vessel in the flesh, he'll be ecstatic." She moved towards him and pulled a knife out of her pocket. She ran it slowly up and down the length of his jeans.

"So you're not going to hurt me then? Keep me alive for your daddy?"

"Alive yes, hurt, well…we'll see." She stopped the knife just above his left knee cap and slowly drove it deep into his flesh. A scream escaped from his lips before he could contain it. "You owe me Dean. You've sent me back to the pit more than once so I see this as some rightful vengeance." She grinned as she began to twist the knife within the muscles, slowly tearing them. After a few more screams, she withdrew the knife and stared up at Dean.

"Like I said, alive. I could do this all day and not kill you which I just might have to do until father returns."

_Thoughts, concerns? Let me know what you think! _


	13. Chapter 13

_Just about done with the story!!! So sorry to keep you all waiting but at least the hiatus is over and we have some new episodes! I'm just about done with the story. There are about 3-4 more chapters but I'll have them posted by next weekend and it'll be complete._

_Please let me know if you're enjoying the story!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Winchesters or anything Eric Kripke and his genius mind comes up with.**

**Rated T for now with only strong language.**

**Spoilers: If you haven't seen any of the 5th season, I suggest not reading (and possibly catching up on your Supernatural)**

**Pairings: Dean/Jo**

**Chapter 13**

Jo guided the shed door open as slowly and quietly as humanly possible. The hinges were covered in rust and she feared if she opened it too fast, her position would be revealed. She prayed that the door wouldn't lead directly into the main room, giving her a chance to figure out the best way to get to Sam. She finally coaxed the door open and slipped into the darkened room.

"Thank God," she thought as she moved her eyes about the wide room and realized she was alone. "About time we caught a break somewhere." Not seconds later she heard Dean's strained voice coming from the other side of the wall and she could tell he wasn't alone. A women's voice, well, a demon in a women's body. She knelt down next to the doorway and peered into the main room.

Directly in front of her was an unmoving Sam, tied with rope to a chair. From the way his head hung, she could tell he was probably knocked out. She turned her eyes towards the wall where Dean was pinned by the demon's power.

"What'd you do to Sam?" She watched as Dean's face filled with anger while talking to the brunette demon in front of him. Jo saw how the demon smiled at the question, obviously enjoying the inner pain she was causing Dean.

She shifted her attention back to Sam, knowing the fastest way out of here was getting him free. She had left all the weapons except the shotgun and the knife outside the shed. She slowly placed the shotgun just inside the doorway in case she needed it after getting Sam free.

She stayed as low to the ground as possible, moving only a few steps at a time. Thankfully she could tell Dean was trying to keep the demon's attention on him, making the ten feet to Sam easier to cross. She halted behind him, appreciative that he was so large that he hid her as she cut thru the ropes. The demons must have been in a hurry because they'd only had time to tie his hands while his feet were free. She cut thru the first few ropes quickly, but stopped when she heard Dean scream.

The first time, her body froze. She knew he'd had his share of torture so the pain she was causing him must be agonizing. It took every drop of her will power to not attack that bitch where she stood. She needed to get Sam free, _then_ she'd pay. She continued cutting thru the ropes and was almost finished when the screams stopped and she felt an invisible force tear her from her hiding place.

Her body slammed against the wall opposite Dean. She tried to fight the force that held her there but every muscle was disobeying her. She felt completely powerless as the demon turned her attention towards her.

"Why hello Jo. Nice to see you again." She watched as the demon slowly walked towards her and her eyes shifted to a coal black.

"What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?"

"Guess you wouldn't remember, different body this time. Let's see if I can jog your memory. Three years ago, Duluth, empty bar… Ringing a bell yet?"

"You're the bitch that possessed Sam. That just makes me want to kill you even more."

"I love how you hunters have all this big talk when you can't even flex a muscle right now. But yeah, that was me. You can call me Meg." She paused in front of Jo and seemed to contemplate something before continuing. "So how'd you get caught up in all this? Just a good Samaritan?"

"Any chance I get to send some demons back to the pit, I'm in."

"Could be. Or maybe, it's cause of something, or someone, else." Meg turned her eyes towards Dean before shifting her attention back to Jo. "See, I remember our little conversation in Duluth about you holding a torch for Dean. And I wasn't lying when I told you romance wasn't his thing, that you're more like his little sister. Ain't that a bitch?"

"Leave her alone," Dean threatened.

"Or what? You can't do a damn thing right now Dean-O." She smiled as she thought about it. She moved so that they could both see her as she talked. "Actually, this could be interesting. I got some time to kill before Father returns." She held the knife up and twirled it slowly in the air.

"Now Sam here, I can't hurt. He needs to be in great shape for when he says yes. Dean, I can't play too hard with cause Father will want him alive and mostly alert. You on the other hand, are expendable. You don't serve any purpose in this fight."

"If you touch one hair on her head…"

"Empty threats Dean. Plus what do you care, she's just another girl to you." Meg could tell before she even said it that it wasn't true, that Jo meant more to him. That's why this was going to be so much fun. Meg raised the knife to Jo's cheek and made a shallow cut against her skin. It stung her cheek and she held back the tears that pleaded to run.

"Stop!"

"Shout all you want Dean, there's nothing you can do."

Jo focused all her energy on her right arm. If she could just get it to move enough to land a punch, Meg might momentarily lose her hold over them. As she felt her wrist begin to peel away from the wooden wall, Meg grasped her wrist and snapped it, releasing a scream from Jo. The pain shot through her body and the cut on her cheek was forgotten.

"Let her go Meg! This has _nothing_ to do with her!" Dean desperately tried to move his body, to do something to help her but it was useless. He watched as Jo looked up to the ceiling and cried out in pain, tears running from her eyes into her blood soaked cheeks.

Jo bit down on her lip, trying to control her body while it convulsed in pain. She needed to keep it together, to prepare for whatever Meg was going to do next. She wasn't going to let Meg get to her.

"Now let's see, what else would cause some more pain without being fatal? I don't want to kill you quite yet, this is just too much fun."

"Bring it." Jo's body was pumping with pain but she wasn't going to give Meg the satisfaction of defeat.

"Fine, why don't I step up the game a bit." Meg took a step back from Jo and raised a hand towards her. Jo didn't understand what she was doing until she felt the inside of her body contort and twist. She didn't know what Meg was doing to her but it felt like she was getting ripped apart from the inside. Blood began to trickle from the corners of her mouth and she started to lose the energy to hold her head up.

"_Stop! _Whatever you want, I'll do it just leave her alone!" Dean shouted from his front row seat to the torture. His heart was breaking at the sight of her going through this but he couldn't look away. Meg dropped her arm and Jo coughed out some of the blood that had built up in her mouth. She turned towards Dean, interested in his bargain.

"Whatever I want?" The smile reappeared in her lips and her black eyes went make to human.

"Yes. Whatever you want with me. Please."

"You know what I want Dean. I want you to convince Sam to say yes, to allow my Father to use him as his vessel to walk the earth."

"Anything but that. Whatever you want Meg."

"That's the only thing I want sweetheart. So, what's it gonna be?"

Dean closed his eyes, knowing what his answer was. He looked at Jo as she hung almost lifeless across from him. Her body was void of any energy and she was unable to meet his gaze. He wished he hadn't gotten her into this. She didn't deserve what he was putting her through and he knew it. And he knew Meg was right, she came because of him. She'd agreed to help because she cared for him.

"I can't… I…" He trailed off, hoping Meg wouldn't do this. She stopped in front of him, gazing up at the hunter.

"Can't choose her over your brother, can you?"

"No. I…I can't let you have Sam." He knew it was right, to fight for his brother but he was so disgusted with himself that he didn't care. He'd just put the final nail in Jo's coffin and he knew it. He knew Meg would finish her.

"That's what I thought. Well then, guess another one bites the dust."

"Please, there must be something else. Let her go and I'll let Lucifer do whatever he wants with me. He can have me."

"Sorry Dean, you're not the one he wants." She crossed back over to Jo and thrust the knife deep into the blonde hunter's side. Jo threw her head back in shock and gasped as she felt the blood begin to move pass the knife to her shirt.

"This is it," she thought. "I can't stop her." Her mind raced with a million thoughts but when she closed her eyes, she thought of her mother. She couldn't leave her, not yet. If she died tonight it'd destroy her mom and she couldn't put her through that. Not again. "I just need to focus, stay alert." Her eyes searched the room for something to focus on and she met his green eyes.

She could tell he was overcome with pain and guilt for what Meg was doing to her but she didn't blame him. She'd agreed to go on this mission with him knowing full well what the risks were. She hadn't expected to die but it wasn't his fault. She knew how much his brother meant to him and that he had to choose Sam in the end. She just wished she'd told him.

She shook her head at him, letting him know it was ok, she didn't blame him. He closed his eyes in anger for a second before opening them just in time to watch her eyes glaze over and her head fall forward, her body going limp.

"Jo! No, wake up Jo! _Jo_!" He thrashed against his invisible bindings but they refused to give as Meg watched him suffer. Her black eyes danced with joy as she saw him give up and his face tighten with grief.

"Cheer up honey, your brother's still alive. Sure, he'll be Lucifer's meat suit soon but at least he's got a pulse. Besides, you should be use to this by now, watching your loved ones die. Should be like second nature to you."

"_Fuck off! I'm going to kill ya you son of a bitch if it is the last thing I do! I'll make you pay for doing that do her_!" Meg just simply looked up at him, knowing that her smile of pleasure hurt more than anything she could say to him.

They both heard the cock of the shotgun only a second before the rock salt tore into Meg's side. Dean and Jo both dropped to the shed floor as Sam picked up the knife from the now empty chair. Dean's body erupted with pain from the impact but his gaze immediately went to his brother who was at his side in a second.

"You ok?" Sam asked as he knelt down next to Dean.

"Just kill the bitch." Sam nodded and strode over to Meg. He reached down with his open hand and pulled her up by the shirt color.

"This is for all the hell you've put me through this last week and for what you've done to Jo." Sam reared back with the knife but he was too late. The black smoke escaped from her mouth and disappeared out the shed door. Sam held frozen for a moment before releasing the dead weight below him. As much as he wanted to send her back to hell, he was overcome with relief that he was finally free. He moved back towards his brother to make sure his wounds weren't fatal. He helped Dean up to a sitting position against the shed wall.

"You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah. Go check on Jo." Dean held his left shoulder to try to minimize the pain as his gaze set on the still body across the shed floor. He wanted more than anything to go to her but the damage that Meg had done to his leg made it almost impossible for him to walk.

Sam knelt down next to Jo and felt for a pulse on her neck.

"She's got a pulse, she's still alive!"

Dean felt a wave of relief wash over his body as he inhaled deeply. He dug through his jean pockets until he found the keys for the Impala.

"Here. She's parked at the end of the lane. And hurry Sam, I don't think she's got time to spare." Sam stood up and sprinted out of the shed towards the waiting Impala.

As soon as he disappeared, Dean slowly started to drag himself across the shed floor towards Jo. He knew in his condition it wasn't the smartest thing to do but he had to get to her. After many painful minutes and some blood loss, he settled down next to her and laid her head in his lap. He could feel her too shallow breaths but her eyes remained closed. He slowly ran his hands thru her hair as he tried to keep his composure.

The damage to her body was critical. Her broken wrist lay limp against the floor in an impossible angle while blood continued to pour from the wound in her stomach. He maneuvered out of his over shirt and covered the wound to attempt to slow her loss of blood. While the wound made him nervous, it was the damage Meg had done internally that scared him the most. He'd experienced first hand how a powerful demon could tear you apart inside with just a flick of their wrist.

"I'm so sorry Jo, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have asked this of you. It wasn't your fight….it" he stopped and took a much needed deep breath. He didn't know if she could hear him. He wanted to keep talking to her, say something but his mind couldn't find the words. Instead he sat there in silence, running his hands over her hair, hoping to provide some comfort while waiting for Sam.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

She knew where she was before her eyes even opened. The rhythmic sound of machines beeping and bad daytime TV were a dead giveaway. It'd been a good two years since she'd found herself in a hospital, a streak she wished could have lasted a bit longer. She could deal with demons, ghosts, corpses, and vampires but hospitals gave her the creeps.

She finally opened her eyes, curious to know what state she would find herself in. The overwhelming light from the fluorescent ceiling fixture burned her eyes for a moment but they soon adjusted to take in her surroundings.

Her body didn't look too banged up from what she could tell. She tried to remember all the hell that Meg had put her through; the broken wrist, the knife, and then crushing her internal organs. A cast was set on her wrist and she could feel her throat was a little rough, maybe from a breathing tube that had thankfully already been removed before she woke.

She couldn't feel any of the pain though. She knew her body should be sore from her injuries but she felt almost numb, and a little dizzy. "Must be the drugs," she thought, grateful for the heavy dosage.

The room was fairly bare expect for the machines, TV, and a sleeping Sam Winchester in the corner. She smiled as she looked over the taller brother. He had somehow managed a very complicated looking sleeping position in the smallest armchair in the world. "So wish I had my camera right now," she said in her scratchy voice. The use of her vocal chords brought about a cough and she reached for her water.

"Jo!" She about choked on the straw at the sound of his excited voice. She watched as Sam moved out of the armchair and dragged it towards her bedside. As he sat, she could tell he was trying his hardest to restrain his relief.

"Hey Sam. You ok?" He gave her his signature little laugh and shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Question is, how are you?"

"Been better but these drugs sure are helping. How long have I been out?"

"Little over a week." Her eyes shot open in surprise. "Yeah, I know. Doctor said the wrist and the stomach wound weren't all that bad but there was a lot of internal bleeding so they kept you sedated. They were worried that if you were awake, it might overwork your body."

"So is everything ok?"

"Yeah, they said you're healing up nicely. Few more days and you should be good to go."

"Good, I'm not really one for hospitals. The faster we can get on the road the…oh God, where's Dean? Is he ok?"

"He's a little tore up but nothing we couldn't stitch together. He's been in your room 24/7 since we left the shed. It took me a few hours but I finally talked him into a break. If all else, he was in desperate need of a shower." Jo exchanged a smile with him and felt the relief wash over her numb body. She'd been sure this had been a suicide mission but somehow, they'd made it out.

"And we called Ellen. Had a hard time getting hold of her but we finally did yesterday. She's relieved to know you're alright and said she's on her way south to meet you. Said she'd give us a call when she got close."

"Great, more reason to give her worry. I'm sure she's going to give me shit for weeks about this. If it wasn't for the apocalypse, she'd probably drag me away to Nebraska for a month to have some quality mother/daughter time."

"Like maybe some cross stitching or scrap booking?" Sam smiled at the thought of the Harvelle women gluing pictures of demons and vampires on pastel colored pages.

"I'm thinking Kumbya and a campfire." They both broke out in laughter over that mental image. She joked about it but deep down, she couldn't wait to be with her mother again. They fought like cats and dogs but she'd missed her during all this.

"What's so damn funny that I could hear Sam's hyena laugh all the way down the hall?" Dean stood in the doorway holding two coffees and watching the two hunters trying to contain themselves.

"Apparently, Jo and Ellen are having a Kumbya session in Nebraska and we're invited."

"Cold day in hell Sammy. Unless it's classic rock, I don't sing." Dean sat on the other side of the bed and handed Sam his coffee. He looked at Jo as she calmed herself down and met his gaze. His voice softened as he focused on her. "How you holding up?"

"I'm good. The drugs are doing their job. Sam said I might be able to leave in a few days?"

"Yeah, that's what Dr. McSexy said yesterday. Just got to stabilize your vitals and we can head out."

"I'm going to go let the nurses know she's awake. I'm sure they have some questions for you." Sam placed a hand on her shoulder momentarily and gave her a soft smile before heading to the nurses' station.

"You sure you're ok? You took a hell of a beating back there." Jo saw the true concern in his eyes as he looked her over. The dark circles under his eyes made it seem as though he hadn't slept in months. Sam had said he'd been in her room since the mission but she hadn't realized how much of a toll this had taken on him. She wasn't sure if it was the mission or something else that was affecting him.

"I think I'm ok. Nothing hurts and besides a sore throat, I'm breathing ok. Guess the doctors did a hell of a job patching me up. What happened?" Dean leaned forward in his chair and took a sip from his coffee before answering.

"After you passed out, Sam got loose from the chair and went after Meg but she fled the body before he could use the knife on her. Hate to say it but we'll probably see that bitch again. Anyway, you were in pretty bad shape. Sam went to get the car and I kept an eye on you until we could get you off to the hospital. Looked kind of touch and go there for a while, you really had me worried."

"I don't…remember all of it. I got up until she stuck me with the knife but everything after that, it's just gray. I remember looking at you and then waking up a few minutes ago. It's like a whole week my brain seems to have just quickly skipped."

"It was a long week, trust me." Dean suddenly seemed very interested in the top of his coffee cup, unable to look at her.

"I heard you stayed in my room the whole time. Sam, he said he could barely get you to leave." Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered their embrace before she left the motel. How he tightened his arms around her and placed a soft kiss on her head.

A few seconds passed in silence before he answered. "I just couldn't let anything else happen to you." He finally broke away from the staring contest with the coffee and looked at Jo. "After everything that's happened…. I needed for you to be ok."

"Why's that?" She knew it was an unfair question. Dean wasn't big on emotions but she could tell he was hiding something he didn't want to talk about right now. She had just about died saving their asses and damn it if she wasn't going to try to figure him out yet.

More silence as he took in a few deep breaths.

"Joanna Harvelle, how are we doing?" An older man wearing a white lab coat with clipboard in hand breezed through the doorway with Sam behind him.

"You're got to be freaking kidding me!?" Jo screamed in her head as she smiled up at the doctor. Meanwhile, she noticed Dean had gone back to his coffee. "Great Doc, thanks for asking."

* * *

_Interstate 85 North (somewhere in Georgia)_

"Ok Ellen, we'll see you in Chattanooga tomorrow. You too, bye." Sam snapped his cell shut and adjusted himself in the passenger seat. He flipped open the atlas and traced their trip with his finger. "Looks like about another four hours and we'll be there."

"Good, I'm starving." Dean pushed the pedal closer to the floorboards. They'd been speeding since they'd left Alabama that morning with Jo drugged up in the backseat. A few days after she'd woken up, the doctors released her and they didn't waste any time getting out of Dodge. They'd both hated the idea of taking her to a hospital that close to all the demonic activity but they didn't have a choice with her critical state. The second the doctor told them she was discharged, they'd hit the road.

"You just ate two burgers an hour ago. You're not even human. You've got to be some kind of gluttony demon or something."

"I know, I'm amazing."

"Not really where I was going with that."

"I'm thinking, after we stop the apocalypse, I'm going to become a professional eater like those guys on TV. I'll eat like forty-five hot dogs in a minute. It'll be awesome!"

"You realize they'll probably all develop health conditions because of that. It's too much on the body." Dean gave him a sideways glance.

"You just have to suck the fun out of everything don't you?"

"Just for you."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

As they headed through Atlanta, the only sounds within the Impala came from the classic rock station and the slight movements of a sleeping Jo in the backseat.

"How's she doing?" Dean asked as he kept his eyes on the heavy outbound traffic. Sam turned around in his seat and laid a hand on her forehead.

"Temperature's good." He slid two fingers on the side of her neck and held them there for a moment. "Good pulse too. I tell ya Dean, I'm shocked she made it out of this. When I saw her in the shed, it didn't look like there was a whole lotta hope." Sam turned his body back to the road and ran his fingers thru his long hair.

"She's a fighter, that's for sure. You should have seen what she did to the two demons in the house. I almost felt sorry for them." He smiled at the thought of the tough little blonde hunter and how surprised those demons must have been when they got handed that ass kicking.

"You know, I hadn't said anything yet cause it's been kind of tense since we left the shed, but…thanks for coming after me Dean."

"Are you serious? Thanks for coming after you? Like I had the option of just leaving you in Lucifer's hands?"

"I know things haven't gone real well with us lately…" Dean jerked the steering wheel to the right and brought the Impala to a neck breaking halt on the side of the road. He moved the shifter into park and glared at his brother.

"Stop it Sam. Stop all this shit about being so grateful that I saved your ass and that I came after you like I'm doing you some kind of favor." Sam clenched his jaw and let his eyes dart about the dashboard, confused at Dean's tone. Dean softened his voice before continuing. "Of course I came, you're my brother. I don't… I don't give a damn how bad things get, there is nothing, _nothing_, that will stop me from protecting you. Yeah, we didn't part ways on the best of terms in Colorado and that might have been a really stupid idea, but if it's the last thing I do, I'm not letting them get you."

Sam let a small smile cross his lips as he nodded at his brother and took in a deep breath. "I know…I know you'd do anything for me and that's what helped me. Lucifer, he was trying all these different ways to get me to say yes. Giving me all these reasons and telling me how much better off we'd be if the apocalypse happened. And I'm not going to lie, some of the things he said, they weren't crazy. But no matter how he tried to convince me, I knew that I couldn't because I couldn't do that to you."

It was Dean's turn to look confused at his brother.

"I knew it was wrong and letting him in would go against everything I believed in and all we fought for but that wasn't the biggest reason. I couldn't do it because…because I knew what it would do to you, to see me like that. There's been numerous times I've gone dark side and I saw the look in your eyes and I couldn't do that to you again. No matter how many paradises and peace on earth he promised would occur if I said yes, I could never live with my choice if I knew the pain it would cause you."

They sat there in silence for several minutes as an endless line of traffic passed them on the interstate.

Dean had never really been one for feelings and talking about them and he wasn't about to start now. He would never admit it to his brother but what he'd just said really had an affect on him. He'd struggled with Sam over the years, protecting him and then seeing him use his demonic side. No matter what he'd always have Sam's back, even when he discovered Sam's desire for demon blood. He was terrified by what it would turn his brother into but deep down, he'd never stop protecting him. But hearing Sam say how he thought about him while Lucifer tried his tricks, how Sam said no because of his devotion to his brother, gave Dean hope.

Dean ran his hands around the steering wheel and cleared his throat. "So, you back with me? From here on out we go as a team no matter what?"

"No matter what. We'll take down that evil son of a bitch together or go down trying." The exchanged a look before Dean popped the Impala back into drive.

"Well now that the chick flick moment is over, I need a beer."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Two hours later they pulled into the Red Door Inn and parked next to Jo's truck. As Dean put the Impala in park, he was amazed that only two weeks ago he was going thru the exact same motion on his way to get Jo. The last two weeks had seemed like forever ago after everything that had happened and he sat there lost in thought for a moment. He was snapped back to reality though as Sam slammed the passenger door shut.

Dean turned around and took in the sleeping huntress that had stretched out across the black leather seats. She looked as peaceful as the morning he'd woken up next to her in the motel, with the addition of a light blue cast. He was worried when she woke up in the hospital that she'd be angry with him for what happened in the shed, for choosing Sam over her but she hadn't said anything about it. As soon as they'd gotten her into the car, she'd crashed in the backseat for the remainder of the trip.

Sometime during the drive, her hair had fallen in front of her face and he contemplated the idea of brushing it back. He didn't want to admit it but there was something about when he touched her, he felt his heart skip a beat and he couldn't help but be relaxed by it. Even when he'd stroked her hair in the shed as he held her, it calmed him down and made it feel as though everything was going to be alright.

"Dude, just wake her up, she's not going to bite." Sam stood hunched over the passenger window looking intrigued as his older brother stared at Jo. He smiled as he watched his brother start and struggle with a retort.

"I know, she's just…cranky when she wakes up."

"Really?" Dean glared at his brother as Sam couldn't help the smug look. "Ok, have fun with that, I'm going to check in. One or two rooms?"

"Two smart ass." He watched Sam continued to smile as he headed towards the motel entrance. He turned back towards Jo and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Jo. C'mon, wake up." Her eyes lazily opened as she stretched her body in the backseat. She began to yawn but instead winced in pain at the soreness around the wound on her stomach. She immediately brought herself in and sat still for a second. Dean got out and had the backdoor open within seconds as he kneeled down so that he was eye level with her.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, just forgot about it for a second." She slowly sat up and took a deep breath as she rested against the seat. "Where are we?"

"Back at the Red Door in Chattanooga. Your mom said she'll be here in the morning." Jo nodded but didn't say anything as she began to move towards the door. "You need help?"

"No, I got it. Just maybe grab my bags?" Dean nodded and headed towards the trunk as she slowly moved. She could feel the soreness in her abdomen as she moved her body. It wasn't a crippling pain but she could tell it was going to give her hell for the next few days. She took a big breath before setting her feet on the ground and pulling her body out of the Impala. "This is going to be bitch," she thought as she could feel how much her body had weakened.

Dean slammed the trunk shut and moved back towards her side. He was going to ask if she needed help walking but decided against it. She was as stubborn as he was and he knew she would just refuse assistance, not matter how much pain she was in. He followed her as she slowly made her way towards Sam who had reappeared.

After they'd put Jo's stuff in her room and gotten theirs out of the car, Dean and Sam unloaded their bags in their room.

"So what's the plan?" Sam asked as he watched Dean slowly drop the weight of his bags off his still tender shoulder onto the bed.

"Well, we don't have a lead anywhere, Cas still hasn't called, and I'm tired as hell. I figure we take this one night off from the apocalypse and get some beers. If Cas hasn't called by morning, we'll track him down somehow."

"You serious?"

"As a heart attack. I feel like I've been running a hundred miles an hour the last week so yeah, all I want to do right now is sit down and have a beer." He looked at Sam, expecting some resistance against the idea.

"Actually, a beer sounds great." Dean cocked his head to the side, surprised to hear him agree. "I've been stuck in a room with Meg and the devil for the last week. Even for us, that was a little overwhelming so yeah, I could use a beer."

"Ok. Well, I saw a bar across the street, just let me check in on Jo first." The boys hung a Do Not Disturb sign on the outside of their door before knocking on the next door down from theirs. "Jo?"

"Come in!" Dean swung the motel door open and stepped inside the dark room as Sam followed him in. The entire contents of her bag were spread across the tiny bed as she searched thru the remaining clothes.

"We're going to get a beer across the street…"

"Great, give me a minute and I'll be ready." She tossed another pair of jeans onto the ugly bedspread.

"I don't think that's a good idea Jo. You've been out of the hospital for less than twelve hours." Jo stopped her digging and turned towards the Winchesters.

"I'm getting a beer." Dean could tell by her body language it was clear this wasn't a negotiation.

"After all those meds you were on? Jo, I don't think that's the best…" Sam was cut off when Dean raised his hand slightly and Sam took the cue to shut up.

"Fine, we'll wait for you outside." Dean gave her one final look before heading out the door with Sam close behind. As soon as he shut the door, Sam confronted him.

"She's not well enough to go out drinking. What were you thinking?"

"You really want to tell her she has to stay put like a five year old cause there's no way in hell I'm doing it." Sam shoved his hands in his pants pocket and sighed at the realization that she probably wouldn't listen to him either.

"Ok but we have to keep an eye on her. Ellen is coming in the morning and I don't want to explain to her why her daughter is in a self induced coma thanks to beer."

"Beer? Sammy, it's going to be a Jack night." Dean smiled as he slapped his brother on the shoulder. He was about to elaborate but was stopped short at the sight of Jo exiting the motel door. She'd slipped into the same tattered jeans he'd seen her in the first night at the motel and he couldn't help but notice how much justice they did to her. She'd also thrown on a vintage black AC/DC shirt that clung to her curves tightly, another attribute that caught his attention.

"You ready?" She looked from one brother to the other before slowly starting across the parking lot to the bar across the street.

The bar was a local dive and it was exactly what they needed. There was a U-shaped bar on the far right wall, a handful of tables and booths that made way for a small open area leading to an empty stage, and a small jukebox as they stepped in the door. There were a handful of regulars scattered about the place but other than the sounds of classic rock and a few light conversations, the place was fairly quiet.

Jo turned to the guys as they closed the door behind them. "I'll get the first round, you find us a seat." She moved towards the bar with most of the patrons watching her every move, including Dean. Sam brushed past his brother and settled into a table in the corner. Dean soon realized he was standing alone in the middle of the room and slowly made his way to Sam, still favoring his right leg as the muscles hadn't completely healed from Meg's damage. As he sat down, he saw Sam's raised eyebrows and smug look reappear.

"What?"

"Just surprised, that's all."

"Well, Meg got a little deep with the knife so it's still painful to walk on." He knew that wasn't what Sam had meant.

"Not what I'm talking about." A few seconds passed as Dean sat quietly staring at his brother. "So…what's going on?"

"With what?"

"Seriously, you want to play that game?" He loved Dean, he really did but sometimes his stubbornness frustrated the hell out of him. "Ok, with Jo. What's going on with you and Jo? You wouldn't leave her side in the hospital, you ask about her condition the whole ride up here, you back down from the fight she put up in her motel room, and you haven't been able to take your eyes off her since we left the motel. What happened?"

"Just, she's grown up since Duluth. She's a good hunter now and I'm just looking out for her." He looked up at the bar to find Jo still talking to the bartender. He really needed that Jack right about now.

"Bullshit Dean, it's more than that. I've seen the way you look at her and how you act around her. It's different." Dean turned his attention back to the conversation at the table.

"Sammy, just let it go."

"Ok, I'll let it go for now but sooner or later you're going to have to tell her." Dean gave him a look that begged him to drop it.

"Beers all around and some shots of Jack for you guys." Jo placed the tray on the table and sat in the empty chair.

"What took so long?" Dean asked as he reached for the closest beer.

"Sweet talked the bartender and got this round on the house."

"How the hell'd you do that?"

"It's called flirting sweetheart, it goes a long way." She shot him a smile before she took a sip of her cold beer and watched Dean smirk as he placed the other shot in front of Sam.

"So, what do we drink to?" Dean asked as he raised his glass.

"I'd say peace on earth but doubt that's ever going to happen," Sam said sarcastically as he picked up his glass.

"How about…survival? Surviving the job up to this point and hopefully surviving the apocalypse?" Jo raised her beer as she looked from brother to brother. They raised their glasses and paused before taking in the bitter taste of the shots. Sam felt the burn of the liquor mix with the emptiness of his stomach.

"If we're going to drink like I think we will, I'm going to need some food," Sam said as he stood up from the table.

"Good idea, get us some menus," Dean said as he took a swig of his beer. "And beer wench, some more shots too?" Sam rolled his eyes as he headed towards the bar.

"I don't know how you all tolerate each on the road. I'm shocked you all don't show up more often covered in bruises and black eyes."

"Eh, he's used to it by now. I've been giving him hell his whole life."

"You'd do anything for him wouldn't you?" Dean set the beer back on the table as he met her gaze. Jo could sense the sudden shift in the conversation but didn't know why.

"What happened back in the shed, I didn't want to…"

"Dean, don't. I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to bring that up."

"I know but I have to tell you…"

"It's fine." She stretched her hand out and laid it on top of his. "I understand why you did what you did. Had it been my mother, I would have made the same choice." She watched, waiting for him to relax and go back to the hard ass demeanor he'd perfected so well. Instead, he seemed to grow more tense as he softly covered her hand with his.

"I didn't want to lose you." Jo felt her heart stop as she held her breath. "Sam, he's my brother and I have to look out for him but when Meg made me choose…I just need you to know that I didn't want to lose you." They sat still for a moment as they both took it in. She knew he wasn't just talking about her as a fellow hunter, it was that something else she'd almost given up on. She smiled at the thought and watched as he returned with his smirk. She couldn't help but shake her head. "What?"

"Like you could get rid of me that easy."

"Right, with your stubborn ass, what was I thinking? You wouldn't let some little thing like death slow you down from being a pain in my ass." He winced as she gripped his hand tight with surprising strength. "Ow!" He meant for it to sound painful but it came out more of a laugh than anything.

"You better be careful Winchester or you'll be getting a matching pair of cracked ribs tonight." She let go of his hand and sat back in her chair, tipping the cold glass to her lips and taking in a swig. She set the glass on the table and gave him a daring look as his demeanor quickly shifted.

"You going to punish me cause I'd kind of like to see that." He gave Jo the look that she knew he could do so well. His flirtation laced with a hint of sexiness and maybe even a little challenege.

"Better be careful what you ask for."

"Are you guys done holding hands or do I need to spend some more time talking to Dave?" Sam stood over them holding some shots and a full pitcher. Jo stifled a laugh as Dean simply shrugged his shoulders and motioned for his brother to sit.

"Well if you're jealous Sammy, I'll hold your hand for awhile."

"I'm good thanks. Just, go easy on the shots. I don't want you crawling in my bed tonight."

"Don't worry, I can hold my liquor."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Well those…some famous last words," Sam said as he adjusted the near dead weight on his side. Jo looked across the nearly asleep Dean where she was doing her best to support him without aggravating the still healing wounds.

"Like you did any better? I'm shocked you know your own name right now." She looked back towards the road to make sure no cars were coming for at least a few miles. After Dave had kicked them out at closing time, it'd taken them a good five minutes to cross the small parking lot. An unconscious Dean was enough to try to handle but a nearly passed out Sam wasn't helping the matter. More than once he'd tried to sit down and almost let all the weight of the older Winchester rest on her shoulders. "Just have to get across two lanes and a parking lot and I can go to bed."

"What?"

"Nothing, let's go." They made their way across the road with Dean's toes dragging on the black pavement. As they were about to the motel door, Sam stopped.

"Ya know, I can hold my own. There was just one evil shot, it don't know what it was, but it was strong. But, I can hold my own."

"Why did you try to out drink him Sam? Really, you should know better by now. Now let's go, five more steps and you both can go to bed."

"I could definitely sleep right now." He said the words but still didn't move.

"We've got to open the door before you can sleep Sam. Now, come on, almost there." Somehow the logic finally registered with him and he helped her close the distance to the door.

After they spent two minutes trying to find Sam's key, they swung the door open and flipped the switch. They carefully maneuvered Dean to his bed and laid him down slowly. Once he was on the bed, Sam flopped onto his and started the difficult task of drunkenly taking off his shoes. Jo rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Dean. She made sure to remove the knife and gun that he had kept on him and placed them on the nightstand. She removed his shoes and looked to see Sam had already curled up on top of the covers.

She gave a quiet laugh as she sat down on the bed next to Dean. He shifted slightly and opened his eyes.

"Hi."

"Hey, how you feeling?"

"Awfsome. I feel nuttin'." His eyes hung heavy as a goofy smile appeared.

"Ok, well you need to pass out. I'm just in the next room if you need me ok?"

"No, stay here wif me."

"I don't think so."

"Why?" She could see he was fighting the sleep that was trying to overtake him.

"Because if you get sick, I'll be the closest target." He nodded and seemed to agree with her. "Good night Dean." She started to move but halted when he raised his hand up to her cheek.

"In the morming, you be here?"

"Yeah, I'll be here. Now please, get some sleep." He pushed a lock of hair away from her face before dropping his hand from her cheek and finally letting his eyes close.

____________

"Where the hell is that music coming from?" He wasn't sure if it was a thought or it he'd actually said it out loud. He shifted in the bed and felt the stiffness of his joints. Not a second later he felt the headache that accompanied the stiffness. "Shit."

The music continued to invade his ears and he finally forced his heavy eyes open. His sideways view of the room revealed a large still shape still asleep in the other bed and a blue light coming from his phone on the nightstand. As he began to reach for the phone, the music stopped and he dropped his hand on the bed.

"Thank god." He let his eyes close in hopes of sleeping away the headache but the music started up again. He reached for the phone and threw it up to his ear.

"What?!" The loudness of his answer hurt even his ears.

A familiar voice answered. "Dean?"

"Cas, holy shit, are you alright?" He continued to lie on the bed, trying to move as little as possible.

"Yes, I'm fine. Meg sent me to a limbo that was difficult to free from. Are you and Sam alright?"

"Yeah, we got Sam out of there about a week ago. We're both good. Couldn't kill Meg though."

"Where are you?"

"Is it an emergency?"

"No."

"Then if I tell you, can you give us about two hours before you beam in?"

"Why?"

"Kind of a rough night Cas. Sam and I aren't really functioning right now."

"Ok. Two hours."

"Ok, Red Door Inn in Chattanooga. See ya in a bit Cas."

Dean snapped the phone shut and dropped it on the bed next to him. He laid there for several minutes, waiting for the sleep to come but it wouldn't. His body felt so tired and heavy but his mind was racing and it refused to let him sleep anymore. He finally gave up and managed his way to the bathroom. He figured if he couldn't sleep, a long hot shower would be the best for this hangover. At least until Sam woke up and they could get some seriously greasy diner food.

He hadn't been in the shower for more than a few minutes before he heard the bathroom door open followed by the sound of stumbling footsteps.

"Dean?" Sam asked with a weak voice. Not surprisingly, he was hurting more than Dean was.

"I warned ya you shouldn't have tried to out drink me. I beat you by at least eight shots."

"Yeah, I get it now, thanks. How long you been up?" Dean heard the sound of water coming from the sink and jumped as the shower water turned colder.

"Damn it Sam! You're stealing all the hot water!" He heard Sam laugh before the water turned back to its previous warmness. He stepped into the stream to warm his shivering body up. "Been up for about half an hour. Cas called, said he's alright."

"Is he on his way?" Sam leaned against the doorway, letting the sturdy wall support his aching body. He rubbed his fingers on his temples trying to alleviate the throbbing.

"We got about an hour or so. I told him we weren't really in our finest form and it'd probably be best if he waited a bit before beaming over."

"Ok, I'll see if I can't find…" He stopped at the sound of knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" Dean asked as he peeked around the shower curtain.

"Unless I recently developed X-ray vision in the last few minutes, I don't know Dean." He rolled his eyes at his brother before crossing the room to open the door to a smiling Jo.

"How ya feeling?" she asked as she looked up at the groggy Winchester.

"Like I drank the bar dry last night. Was I that bad?" Jo laughed as she patted a hand on Sam's massive chest before entering their room.

"I almost lost you last night. There was one sixty year old cougar there that offered to take ya home but I couldn't live with myself if I let that happen." Sam shut the door and practically fell onto his bed.

" 'Preciate you looking out for me." Jo sat on the opposite bed and watched as Sam laid on his back staring at the ceiling, his body relaxing in the softness of the bed. It might be a few more hours before he would be able to tear himself away from the comfort it gave his sore body.

"Just got off the phone with mom. She said she'll be here in about half an hour."

"You need help packing or anything?"

"Already done. Some of us got up before 10:30 this morning."

"Some of us aren't hung over," Sam answered in his classic sarcastic tone.

"Some of us are still medicated," Jo retorted with equal sarcasm. Sam couldn't help but smile at how quick witted she could be sometimes. Almost a shame they had to part again so quickly.

"So where you and Ellen off to? Campfires and scrap booking?"

"Ha, no actually. She got a call from an old friend in Ohio, needs our help with a spirit so she's just swinging by to pick me up and we're on our way."

"So you're taking off?" Jo looked up as Dean stepped out of the open bathroom door with a towel wrapped around him. He headed towards his bag on the table and began to dig thru his clothes.

"Yeah, I figured I should help her out on this. Plus, it's been a few weeks since I've seen her. I'm sure she'd hit the panic button if I go another week without her." She watched as Dean pulled out an old t-shirt and jeans from the well used bag. He gathered them in his arms as he glanced in her direction. She tried to hide the smile that teased at the side of her lips but she knew he saw it. He gave her a wink and the smile turned into a full fledged laugh. "Really Dean Winchester? That may have even been too cheesy for you."

"Nothing is too cheesy for me. You haven't seen anything yet."

"If it's anything else like that, I think I'll pass."

Dean started to make his way towards the bathroom with his clothes in hand. "Your loss."

"Doubtful." Dean halted and gave Jo one more look as she sat perched atop his bed with a playful grin.

"Um, do I need to leave?" Sam asked from his awkward position amongst all the tension in the room. Jo and Dean exchanged a look for a minute before she answered.

"Not yet." It was Dean's turn to smile before he closed the bathroom door.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

When Dean had reopened the door to their motel room, he was alone. Somehow in the three minutes it had taken him to get ready, his room had been vacated. He crossed the distance to the window and drew back the curtain enough to peek outside.

It didn't take him long to figure out the sudden departure. Ellen was standing beside a truck giving Sam a hug as Jo threw the first of her bags in the back of the cab. She was smiling at Sam which was a good sign she wasn't pissed about Jo being in the hospital. Ellen had warned him to take care of her and he was afraid he hadn't done his job. She'd taken more than most could handle and somehow she'd still walked away intact. He quickly threw on his boots and made his way out to the parking lot.

"Hey Ellen." He crossed the few feet to the truck and stopped next to Sam. She shot him a smile and drew him in for a hug. He stiffened as she embraced him, still weary of anything that he might have done to piss her off. There weren't a lot of people in this world he was afraid of but Ellen was one of them. He released a quiet sigh as she let him go.

"Hey Dean, how you holding up? Jo said you took a few hard hits."

"Nothing I couldn't handle. Just some more scars to add to the collection. How was the drive?"

"Same as always but it's good to see you all again. Did you find out any more information about the apocalypse?"

Sam shook his head. "Nothing too helpful. The whole time they had me there Lucifer was trying to convince me to be his vessel. Apparently, I'm supposed to be his one true vessel." Dean could hear the distain in his voice and he had the overwhelming feeling of protection towards his brother arise.

"But it's not going to happen. I don't care about all this destiny shit, we're not going to let that happen," Dean said as he looked at Sam.

"Well, we'll do what we can. Just let me know if you boys need anymore help," Ellen asked as she moved towards the cab. Jo was fighting with some bags in the backseat, trying to make room. "Sam, help me out here a second. I need some long arms to move this stuff around." Jo ducked out of the way of her mom and started back towards her room.

"You guys figure that mess out, I'm going to get the last of my bags."

"I'll help ya with that," Dean said as he followed her into the room. She stuffed a pair of jeans and hunting knife in the last bag and looked about the room.

"I think that's it." She scanned the room, satisfied it was empty. She walked into the bathroom to check it over one last time while Dean shut the motel door. She grabbed her toothbrush from the side of the sink and made her way back towards the bed.

"So…" Dean stood just inside the door looking tense but with his eyes focused on her. Jo stuffed the toothbrush into the bag and zipped it shut before turning towards him.

"So?" She raised her eyebrows in question as they stared at each other.

"So I guess we'll be seeing you around? With the um, apocalypse and everything, we'll probably need all the help we can get." He took a few steps towards her.

"Yeah, we'll be around, just give us a call. Let me know if you ever need me." She stood her ground and watched as Dean continued to slowly close the space between them. She'd waited years for him to want her like she'd wanted him and damn if she was going to make the first move now. She needed him to initiate it so she knew that everything that had happened over the last two weeks wasn't just in her head.

He stopped, inches away from her. His green eyes met hers as he searched for something to say. The way she was looking at him right now, he thought of a hundred different things he wanted to tell her but he knew nothing would do this feeling any justice. He slowly moved his hand until it cupped the softness of her cheek. She was the first to smile but he soon mirrored hers with his own.

He leaned in, slowly, keeping his eyes focused on her the entire time. Right before their lips touched, he halted. He'd never felt the need to kiss someone as much as he wanted to kiss her right now but he wanted to savor this moment. Her eyes were shut, trusting him to close that final distance between them that had existed for so long. He gave one last smile before softly pressing his lips to hers.

They moved slowly, savoring every moment of the kiss they'd both been thinking about for at least the last week. He moved his hand from her cheek to the back of her head, needing to feel as close to her as he could as she slid her hands behind his back. Her soft lips still held a trace of her grin as he continued moving his slowly against them.

Almost as if they both felt it at the same time, they deepened the kiss, moving their lips apart as they grasped onto each other more tightly. As he moved his hand slowly through her hair as the kiss deepened, he became lost in her. Everything that had weighed him down, that'd plagued him, he forgot. He couldn't focus, couldn't understand what he was feeling but he knew he didn't want to let her go. When she moved her hands towards his chest and pulled away, his eyes snapped open and looked at her in confusion.

"Air, just… needed air for a second." He watched as she breathed deeply for a second and he could tell her body was running with as much adrenaline as his was right now. He moved a piece of fallen hair behind her ear as he smiled down on her. She returned the smile as she went into his arms and placed her head on his chest. They stood there for a moment in the embrace, knowing that the moment wouldn't last and they'd have to go their separate ways. All she could think about as she rested inside his arms was when he told her years ago, wrong place, wrong time. It'd frustrated the hell out of her when he'd said that but now, she understood. She wanted to stay with him in the motel room all day and never leave but they had business to take care of. Maybe after the apocalypse…

"What are you thinking about?"

She wanted to tell him, to explain what was running thru her mind but there was no point. She knew without asking that he understood the same thought that had run through her mind. They were hunters and they both had a job to do. Instead, she moves back slightly and met those beautiful green eyes of his. She pulls him in for another soft kiss knowing this might be the last time they'd get a moment like this. They continue to move in their own world for a minute before he rests his forehead to hers.

"I gotta go. Mom's waiting for me and I'm sure their getting curious about where we are." He laughs at the thought of Sam and Ellen making small talk in the parking lot.

"So where do we go from here?"

She gives him one more quick kiss before answering. "I'll see ya around." Her hand slips away from his chest as she reaches for the duffel bag. She gives him one last look before crossing the room to open the motel door. Dean slowly follows and closes the door behind him as they walk back to the truck.

Ellen and Sam are both leaning against the hood of the truck, deep in conversation. Sam looks up as they approach and Dean can tell he's doing all he can to suppress a smart ass comment. Jo moves past them and puts the last bag in the backseat before turning back to her mom.

"Well, that's it. I'm good to go." Ellen moves towards the driver's side door and rolls the window down as she slams it shut.

"You boys stay in contact with us. You get wind of anything, you let us know."

"Yes ma'am," they both answer in perfect unison.

"And take care of yourselves." Jo smiles at the motherly advice and stops in front of Sam.

"Be safe, ok Sam? No more trying to out drink your brother or getting kidnapped by demons." He shoots her a smile as he pulls her into a hug.

"I'll try my best." He releases her and she steps back. Her eyes shift to Dean as he steps towards her and draws her in. She could feel his goodbye in the embrace. His hold is tight on her but at the same time, she can feel the same sadness she feels.

"Be careful ok? Go easy on the demons," he whispers so that only she can her him. "I need for you to be ok for the next time I see ya."

She nods her head slightly into his chest. "You too. Don't try to always be the hero Dean. Be careful." He gives her a light kiss on the forehead before stepping back and letting her go to her side of the truck. She doesn't look at him again until she's seated next to her mom and they are pulling away from the motel. She watches him stand next to Sam until they drive out of sight.

Sam gives them a wave as they disappear out of sight around the corner. "So, what took you all so long in there?" Dean doesn't even make eye contact with him as he moves towards the Impala.

"Shut up."

"I mean, it was only one bag. How long does it take to pack one little bag?" Sam follows him towards the car as Dean slams the driver side shut and revs the engine. He pulls the passenger door open and gives Dean a hardly hidden smile.

"Pie hole, Sam. Pie hole."

_______________

"Where you going?" Sam looked up from the laptop he's been sitting in front of for the last hour as Dean moved towards the door. They left Chattanooga hours ago and they'd stopped in a motel in Iowa for the night. Castiel had told them they needed to get back to Bobby's but said he'd prefer not to ride in the car so he'd opted to meet them there.

"Just going for a walk after been cooped up in the car all day. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it." He put on his jacket and put his cell in his pocket.

"Be careful."

"In Middle of No Where Iowa, you kidding me? What am I going to run into, a Bessie with mad cow disease? I'll be back in a minute." With that, Dean shut the door and stepped into the dark parking lot. He'd needed some time to himself after being stuck with a sober Sam all afternoon. Sam had been running theories by him right and left and all he wanted to do was get some peace and quiet.

Ever since he'd seen her this morning, his mind had been going in a hundred different directions and he hadn't been able to keep up with it all. He figured maybe some time away from everything would calm him down. He crossed the parking lot and walked down the quiet main street of the little Iowa town. It was almost midnight so the streets were nearly deserted except for the random car now and again.

As he moved through the downtown area, he noticed a small park across the street and made his way towards it. Being the hunter he was, he could tell it wasn't the best place to relax but he'd made sure to bring the knife with him. He moved through the entrance gates into the small park and followed the path until he came upon a bench. He grabbed the flask out of his back pocket and sat on the old wooden bench. After taking a swig of the Jack, he closed his eyes and began to relax for the first time in a long time. When he opened them though, he was anything but calm.

A familiar older man stood before him in his signature dark suit. "Hello Dean."

"What do you want Zacheriah? Come to torture me some more into being Heaven's bitch?" Dean leaned forwards and rested his elbows on his knees.

"No. I'm sorry, that probably wasn't the best approach. I should have known better than to try to force you into saying yes."

"So what's the plan this time? Threats? Orders? Promises of unlimited cheeseburgers for life?"

"I want to make a deal." Zacheriah stood unmoving in front of Dean.

"You should know better than to make a deal with me. I've already done enough for a lifetime." Zacheriah began to slowly pace in front of him and Dean's eyes followed his every movement.

"But you'll want this one, trust me."

"What are you selling?"

"A soul. More specifically, a life. You say 'yes' to Michael, become the savior of earth and heaven, and I'll save a life for you."

"Sam's? You mean you could save him from Lucifer?" Dean tried his best to hide the tone in his voice. Could the angels do it, keep Sam safe?

"No, that's the one person we can't really interfere with. Sam, well he's difficult. But anyone else though, I can promise."

"So say I agree to this, to say 'yes' to Michael and let him destroy my body in the name of Heaven. Let's say all this happens and no one gets hurt? Then I've just damned myself on the _possibility _that someone I care for is going to die. Not really a good deal from that stand point."

Zacheriah stopped pacing and looked sincerely at Dean. "Trust me, you want to take this deal. A few months from now, you'll be begging me for this deal." Dean watched as Zacheriah put emphasis on his last statement. Could he already know what happens, what plays out over the next few months? Does he know something that's going to happen to one of them? He played with the idea for a second before realizing it was unlikely. If Zacheriah knew what was going to happen, he wouldn't try so many different tactics to get him to say yes. He'd already know whether or not he does.

"No."

"No? How can you say no?"

"Cause you're a dick and I don't trust you. You've pulled so much shit on me before there's no way I'm believing you now." Zacheriah let out a loud sigh and shook his head.

"You'll regret this you know."

"Just something else to add to that very long list." Dean took another swig of the Jack. "So what else you got up your sleeve? What other dirty tricks you going to try on me?"

"Well, I got one more," Zacheriah said as he touched his fingers to Dean's forehead. An overwhelming bright light momentarily blinded him before his eyes were able to refocus.

He'd gone from sitting on a bench in Iowa to lying in a dirty motel room. He looked around the room but say no sign of the angel or of Sam. He rolled off the mattress free bed and moved about the room, looking for clues. The room was almost completely void of furniture and what was there looked like it'd caught on fire recently. He noticed the window was open and moved towards it. As he parted the curtains, he looked onto an empty city. Cars were left abandoned in the streets, smoke rose from numerous building, and everything was broken. His eyes stopped as he saw a brick wall across the street with the words "Croatoan" painted in red.

**The End**

_Yes, the story ended up being a big AU but I wanted to put a different spin on the events between Good God Y'all til The End. I hope you all enjoyed it. This was a lot more work than I would have ever thought went into writing a fan fic but it was a lot of fun. Maybe some day I'll get my wish and Kripke will bring Jo back somehow. Thanks for reading though!_


End file.
